title: Mouse embryonic stem cells that survive γ-rays exposure maintain pluripotent differentiation potential and genome stability.
abstract: This study aimed to investigate the cell cycle, apoptosis, cytogenetics and differentiation capacity of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) that survived a single dose of 2 or 5 Gy γ-rays during a period of up to 96 h of culture. After 2 Gy irradiation and 24 h culture, compared to control, a significant majority of cells was blocked at the G2/M phase and a massive apoptosis was recorded. Between 48 and 72 h post-irradiation, the parameters used to describe the cell cycle and apoptosis returned similar to those of control samples. When mESCs were irradiated with 5 Gy, a small fraction of cells, even after 96 h of culture, still presented clear evidences of a G2/M block and apoptosis. The cytogenetic analysis performed at 96 h showed that the structural stability of the aberrations did not change significantly when comparing control and 2 or 5 Gy-treated populations. However, the chromosomal damage observed in the progeny of the survived cells after 5 Gy exposure is significantly higher than that observed in control samples, although it is mostly of the stable and transmissible type. Ninety-six hours after irradiation, the survived mESCs maintained their undifferentiated status and capability to differentiate into the three germ layers. Overall, these results indicate a commitment of mESCs to maintain pluripotency and genome stability.
authors: Laboratorio di Biologia dello Sviluppo, Dipartimento di Biologia Animale, Università degli Studi di Pavia, Pavia, Italy.
authors: Paola
authors: P
authors: Rebuzzini
authors: Diana
authors: D
authors: Pignalosa
authors: Giuliano
authors: G
authors: Mazzini
authors: Riccardo
authors: R
authors: Di Liberto
authors: Antonio
authors: A
authors: Coppola
authors: Nadia
authors: N
authors: Terranova
authors: Paolo
authors: P
authors: Magni
authors: Carlo Alberto
authors: CA
authors: Redi
authors: Maurizio
authors: M
authors: Zuccotti
authors: Silvia
authors: S
authors: Garagna
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D053595:Embryonic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D005720:Gamma Rays / Q000009:adverse effects*; D042822:Genomic Instability / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D039904:Pluripotent Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D011829:Radiation Dosage