title: The relationship between the RBE of alpha particles and the radiosensitivity of different mutations of Chinese hamster cells.
abstract: The RBE of alpha-particles in different mutations of Chinese hamster cells was determined with the aim of identifying differences in the sensitivity to x-ray and alpha-particle-induced DNA damage. Two parental lines of Chinese hamster cells and four radiosensitive mutants were irradiated with different single doses of x-rays and alpha-particles and clonogenic cell survival was determined. Radiosensitivity to x-rays varied by a factor of 5 between the cell strains whereas sensitivity to alpha-particle irradiation was almost identical among all strains. The RBE is only determined by the sensitivity of the cells towards x-rays. Since cells with different defects of repair or cell cycle control have different radiosensitivities, we conclude that the effects of x-ray irradiation and the RBE are mostly determined by the activity of repair processes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Biology, St. Bartholomew's and the Royal London School of Medicine and Dentistry, UK.
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Zyuzikov
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Prise
authors.forename: M Z
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Zdzienicka
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Newman
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Michael
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Trott
mesh_terms: D000512:Alpha Particles; D000818:Animals; D016466:CHO Cells; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000528:radiation effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured / Q000528:radiation effects*; D006224:Cricetinae; D004249:DNA Damage; D004260:DNA Repair; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D009154:Mutation; D011836:Radiation Tolerance / Q000235:genetics; D012062:Relative Biological Effectiveness; D014965:X-Rays