title: Apoptosis induced by high-LET radiations is not affected by cellular p53 gene status.
abstract: To learn more about the biological effects of high-linear energy transfer (LET) radiations, we examined radiation-induced apoptosis in response to high-LET radiations in cells with wild-type, mutated and null p53 gene. Three human lung cancer cell lines were used. These lines had identical genotypes, except for the p53 gene. Cells were exposed to X-rays or high-LET radiations (13 - 200 keV microm(-1)) using different nuclei ion beams. Cellular radiation sensitivities were determined with the use of colony-forming assays. Apoptosis was detected and quantified using Hoechst 33342 staining with fluorescence microscopy. It was found that (1) there was no significant difference in cellular sensitivity to high-LET radiation (>85 keV microm(-1)), although the sensitivity of wild-type p53 cells to X-rays was higher than that of mutated p53 or p53-null cells; (2) X-ray-induced apoptosis at higher frequencies in wild-type p53 cells when compared with mutated p53 and p53-null cells; and (3) Fe beams (200 keV microm(-1)) induced apoptosis in a p53-independent manner. The results indicate that high-LET radiations induces apoptosis in human lung cancer cells in a manner that does not seem to depend on the p53 gene status of the cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Nara Medical University School of Medicine, Nara, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Furusawa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ohnishi
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ishioka
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ohnishi
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000528:radiation effects*; D016158:Genes, p53; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D011836:Radiation Tolerance; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014965:X-Rays