Radiation-produced chromosome aberrations: colourful clues.
Ionizing radiation produces many chromosome aberrations. A rich variety of aberration types can now be seen with the technique of chromosome painting. Apart from being important in medicine and public health, radiation-produced aberrations act as colorful molecular clues to damage-processing mechanisms and, because juxtaposition of different parts of the genome is involved, to interphase nuclear organization. Recent studies using chromosome painting have helped to identify DNA double-strand-break repair and misrepair pathways, to determine the extent of chromosome territories and motions, and to characterize different aberration patterns left behind by different kinds of radiation.
Sachs
R K
RK
Departments of Mathematics and of Physics, Evans Hall, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA. sachs@math.berkeley.edu
Hlatky
L R
LR
Trask
B J
BJ
D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D020223:Chromosome Painting / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence / Q000379:methods; D011839:Radiation, Ionizing