NASA Logo

NTRS

NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server

Back to Results
Radiation-induced genomic instability: radiation quality and dose responseGenomic instability is a term used to describe a phenomenon that results in the accumulation of multiple changes required to convert a stable genome of a normal cell to an unstable genome characteristic of a tumor. There has been considerable recent debate concerning the importance of genomic instability in human cancer and its temporal occurrence in the carcinogenic process. Radiation is capable of inducing genomic instability in mammalian cells and instability is thought to be the driving force responsible for radiation carcinogenesis. Genomic instability is characterized by a large collection of diverse endpoints that include large-scale chromosomal rearrangements and aberrations, amplification of genetic material, aneuploidy, micronucleus formation, microsatellite instability, and gene mutation. The capacity of radiation to induce genomic instability depends to a large extent on radiation quality or linear energy transfer (LET) and dose. There appears to be a low dose threshold effect with low LET, beyond which no additional genomic instability is induced. Low doses of both high and low LET radiation are capable of inducing this phenomenon. This report reviews data concerning dose rate effects of high and low LET radiation and their capacity to induce genomic instability assayed by chromosomal aberrations, delayed lethal mutations, micronuclei and apoptosis.
Document ID
20040087604
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Smith, Leslie E.
(University of Maryland 655 W. Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD 21201-1559, United States)
Nagar, Shruti
Kim, Grace J.
Morgan, William F.
Date Acquired
August 21, 2013
Publication Date
July 1, 2003
Publication Information
Publication: Health physics
Volume: 85
Issue: 1
ISSN: 0017-9078
Subject Category
Life Sciences (General)
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: CA73924
CONTRACT_GRANT: CA83872
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other
Keywords
Review
Non-NASA Center
Review, Tutorial
NASA Discipline Radiation Health

Available Downloads

There are no available downloads for this record.
No Preview Available