title: Influence of a low background radiation environment on biochemical and biological responses in V79 cells.
abstract: We present the results of an experiment aimed at comparing the effects of different background radiation environments on metabolism and responses to gamma-rays and cycloheximide of cultured mammalian cells. Chinese hamster V79 cells were maintained in exponential growth in parallel for up to 9 months at the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS) and at the INFN-Gran Sasso underground Laboratory (LNGS) where exposure due to gamma-rays and to radon was reduced by factors of about 70 and 25, respectively. After 9 months the cells grown at the LNGS (cumulative gamma dose about 30 microGy, average radon concentration around 5 Bq/m(3)), compared to the cells grown at the ISS (cumulative gamma-ray dose about 2 mGy, average radon concentration around 120 Bq/m(3)), exhibited i). a significant increase of the cell density at confluence, ii). a significantly higher capacity to scavenge organic and inorganic hydroperoxides but a reduced scavenging capacity towards superoxide anions and iii). an increase in both the basal hprt mutation frequency and sensitivity to the mutagenic effect of gamma-rays. The cells grown at the LNGS also showed a greater apoptotic sensitivity starting at the third month of culture, that was no longer detected after 9 months. Overall, these data suggest a role of background ionizing radiation in determining an adaptive response, although they cannot be considered conclusive.
authors.affiliation: Energetics Department, Rome University "La Sapienza", Via A. Scarpa 14, 00161 Rome Italy, Luigi.Satta@lnf.infn.it
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Satta
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Antonelli
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Belli
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Sapora
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Simone
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sorrentino
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Tabocchini
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Amicarelli
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ara
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Cerù
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Colafarina
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Conti Devirgiliis
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Marco
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Balata
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Falgiani
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nisi
mesh_terms: D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis; D000398:Air Pollution, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000528:radiation effects; D001417:Background Radiation; D002455:Cell Division / Q000528:radiation effects; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000528:radiation effects; D006224:Cricetinae; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000502:physiology* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D005720:Gamma Rays; D008168:Lung / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects; D009154:Mutation / Q000528:radiation effects; D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / Q000378:metabolism; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016271:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53