title: Expression of phospho-Elk-1 in rat gut after the whole body gamma irradiation.
abstract: Gastrointestinal form is the second stage of acute radiation syndrome (ARS) with a threshold dose of 8 Gy in man. It represents an absolutely lethal clinical-pathological unit, necro-hemorrhagic enteritis and proctocolitis, with unknown causal therapy. Elk-1 is a protein acting as a transcription factor activating specified genes. The purpose of our study was to examine the expression of phospho-Elk-1 in irradiated jejunum and transversal colon of rats with radiation-induced enterocolitis and to assess the importance of this transcriptional factor as a biodosimetric marker of radiation-induced enteropathy. The laboratory rats were randomly divided into 21 groups, 10 animals per group, and irradiated with whole body gamma-irradiation of 1, 5, 10, 15, and 20 Gy. Samples of jejunum and transversal colon were taken 24, 48, 72, and 96 hours later, immunohisto-chemically stained, and the phospho-Elk-1 expression was examined using computer image analysis. A group of 10 sham-irradiated animals was used as control. Significantly increased expression of phospho-Elk-1 in rat jejunum has been found in all time intervals after irradiation by sublethal doses of 1 and 5 Gy, whereas after the irradiation by lethal doses, the expression of phospho-Elk-1 in rat jejunum varied considerably. Significantly increased expression of phospho-Elk-1 in transversal colon has also been found in the first days after irradiation by sublethal doses of 1 and 5 Gy. After irradiation by lethal doses, there was no uniform pattern of the changes in the expression of phospho-Elk-1 in rat transversal colon. The detection of phospho-Elk-1 might be considered as a suitable and very sensitive biodosimetric marker of radiation-induced injury of small and large intestine. According to our knowledge, this is the first study on the phospho-Elk-1 expression in irradiated jejunum and transversal colon in the rat.
authors.affiliation: Gynecology Obstetrics Clinic, University Hospital Bulovka, Prague, Czech Republic. driak@seznam.cz
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Driák
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Osterreicher
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Řeháková
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Vilasová
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vávrová
mesh_terms: D054508:Acute Radiation Syndrome / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D003106:Colon / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000528:radiation effects; D004307:Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation; D004760:Enterocolitis / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005720:Gamma Rays; D007583:Jejunum / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000528:radiation effects; D008297:Male; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011833:Radiation Injuries, Experimental / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013997:Time Factors; D015854:Up-Regulation; D014916:Whole-Body Irradiation; D050807:ets-Domain Protein Elk-1 / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C494114:Elk1 protein, rat; D050807:ets-Domain Protein Elk-1