Cells exposed to densely ionising high and scattered low linear energy transfer (LET) radiation (50 % dose of each) react more strongly than to the same dose of each separately. The relationship between DNA double strand break location inside the nucleus and chromatin structure was evaluated, using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells at 30 min post 5 Gy. Additionally, response to high and/or low LET radiation was assessed using single (1 ×1.5 Gy) versus fractionated dose delivery (5 ×0.3 Gy). By TEM analysis, the highest total number of γH2AX nanobeads were found in cells irradiated with alpha radiation just prior to gamma radiation (called mixed beam), followed by alpha, then gamma radiation. γH2AX foci induced by mixed beam radiation tended to be surrounded by open chromatin (lighter TEM regions), yet foci containing the highest number of beads, i.e. larger foci representing complex damage, remained in the heterochromatic areas. The γH2AX large focus area was also greater in mixed beam-treated cells when analysed by immunofluorescence. Fractionated mixed beams given daily induced the strongest reduction in cell viability and colony formation in MDA-MB-231 and osteosarcoma U2OS cells compared to the other radiation qualities, as well as versus acute exposure. This may partially be explained by recurring low LET oxidative DNA damage by every fraction together with a delay in recompaction of chromatin after high LET, demonstrated by low levels of heterochromatin marker H3K9me3 at 2 h after the last mixed beam fraction in MDA-MB-231. In conclusion, early differences in response to complex DNA damage may lead to a stronger cell kill induced by fractionated exposure, which suggest a therapeutic potential of combined high and low LET irradiation.

Many experimental studies are carried out to compare biological effectiveness of high dose rate (HDR) with that of low dose rate (LDR). The rational for this is the uncertainty regarding the value of the dose rate effectiveness factor (DREF) used in radiological protection. While a LDR is defined as 0.1 mGy/min or lower, anything above that is seen as HDR. In cell and animal experiments, a dose rate around 1 Gy/min is usually used as representative for HDR. However, atomic bomb survivors, the reference cohort for radiological protection, were exposed to tens of Gy/min. The important question is whether gamma radiation delivered at very high dose rate (VHDR-several Gy/min) is more effective in inducing DNA damage than that delivered at HDR. The aim of this investigation was to compare the biological effectiveness of gamma radiation delivered at VHDR (8.25 Gy/min) with that of HDR (0.38 Gy/min or 0.79 Gy/min). Experiments were carried out with human peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMC) and the human osteosarcoma cell line U2OS. Endpoints related to DNA damage response were analysed. The results show that in PBMC, VHDR is more effective than HDR in inducing gene expression and micronuclei. In U2OS cells, the repair of 53BP1 foci was delayed after VHDR indicating a higher level of damage complexity, but no VHDR effect was observed at the level of micronuclei and clonogenic cell survival. We suggest that the DREF value may be underestimated when the biological effectiveness of HDR and LDR is compared.

Many physical factors influence the biological effect of exposure to ionizing radiation, including radiation quality, dose rate and temperature. This thesis focuses on how these factors influence the outcome of exposure and the mechanisms behind the cellular response. 

Mixed beam exposure, which is the combination of different ionizing radiations, occurs in many situations and the effects are important to understand for radiation protection and effect prediction. Recently, studies show that the effect of simultaneous irradiation with different qualities is greater than simple additivity of single radiation types, which is called a synergistic effect. But its mechanism is unclear. In Paper I, II and III, alpha particles and X-rays were used to study the effect of mixed beams. Paper I shows that mixed exposure induced a synergistic effect in generating double strand breaks (DSB), and these DSB were repaired by slow kinetics in U2OS cells. In Paper II, alkaline comet assay was applied to investigate the induction and repair of DNA lesions including DSB, single strand breaks and alkali labile sites in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL). We demonstrate that mixed beams interact in inducing DNA damage and influencing DNA damage response (DDR), which result in a delay of DNA repair. Both in Paper I and II, mixed beams showed a capability in inducing higher activity of DDR proteins than expected from additivity. Paper III investigates selected DDR-related gene expression levels after exposure to mixed beams in PBL from 4 donors. Synergy was present for all donors but the results suggested individual variability in the response to mixed beams, most likely due to life style changes.

Low temperature at exposure is radioprotective at the level of cytogenetic damage. In Paper IV, data indicate that this effect is through promotion of DNA repair, which leads to reduced transformation of DNA damage into chromosomal aberrations.  

Paper V aims to compare the biological effectiveness of gamma radiation delivered at a very high dose rate (VHDR) with that of a high dose rate (HDR) in order to optimize chronic exposure risk prediction based on the data of atomic bomb survivors. The results suggest that VHDR gamma radiation is more effective in inducing DNA damage than HDR.     

Accumulating evidence suggests a synergistic effect in cells simultaneously exposed to different types of clustered and dispersed DNA damage. We aimed to analyse the effect of mixed beams of alpha particles and X-rays (1:1 dose of each) on DNA damage response genes in human peripheral blood lymphocytes isolated from four donors. Two donors were compared upon inhibition of ATM or DNA-PK and at different sampling times. qPCR was used to measure mRNA levels of FDXR, GADD45A, BBC3, MDM2, CDKN1A, and XPC 24 h following exposure. Generally, alpha particles and mixed beams were stronger inducers of gene expression compared to X-rays, displaying saturated versus linear dose-response curves, respectively. Three out of four donors responded synergistically to mixed beams. When two donors were sampled again one year later, the former additive effect in one donor was now synergistic and no significant difference in intrinsic radiosensitivity was displayed, as determined by gamma-radiation-induced micronuclei. ATM, but not DNA-PK inhibition, reduced the radiation-induced gene expression, but differently for alpha radiation between the two donors. In conclusion, synergy was present for all donors, but the results suggest individual variability in the response to mixed beams, most likely due to lifestyle changes.

Purpose: Dose assessment plays an important role in case of radiological accidents and can be performed by scoring structural changes of chromosome morphology induced in cells by ionizing radiation. The results of such a test are biased by scorer experience, therefore, simple to learn assays are recommended to be used when fast analysis of a large amount of data is needed. The aim of this study was to compare the performance of two radiobiological assays - chromosomal aberrations and micronuclei - by unexperienced scorers with the reference values generated by an expert.

Materials and methods: Each participant of an EU-funded two-week radiobiology course was asked to score Chinese hamster ovary cells exposed to gamma radiation up to 4 Gy. The congruence of students' and expert's scores at each dose and the coherence of the dose-response curve parameters between the students were investigated.

Results: Micronucleus test tended to be faster and easier to learn than scoring chromosomal aberrations. However, both assays carried out by inexperienced students showed reasonable dose-response curves.

Conclusions: In the case of a large radiological accident involving many casualties, the unexperienced scorers would support the process of biodosimetric triage by cytogenetic biological dosimetry.

Purpose: Low temperature at exposure has been shown to act in a radioprotective manner at the level of cytogenetic damage. It was suggested to be due to an effective transformation of DNA damage to chromosomal damage at low temperature. The purpose of the study was to analyze the kinetics of aberration formation during the first hours after exposing human peripheral blood lymphocytes to ionizing radiation at 0.8 degrees C and 37 degrees C.Materials and methods: To this end, we applied the technique of premature chromosome condensation. In addition, DNA damage response was analyzed by measuring the levels of phosphorylated DNA damage responsive proteins ATM, DNA-PK and p53 and mRNA levels of the radiation-responsive genes BBC3, FDXR, GADD45A, XPC, MDM2 and CDKN1A.Results: A consistently lower frequency of chromosomal breaks was observed in cells exposed at 0.8 degrees C as compared to 37 degrees C already after 30minutes postexposure. This effect was accompanied by elevated levels of phosphorylated ATM and DNA-PK proteins and a reduced immediate level of phosphorylated p53 and of the responsive genes.Conclusions: Low temperature at exposure appears to promote DNA repair leading to reduced transformation of DNA damage to chromosomal aberrations.

Cells react differently to clustered and dispersed DNA double strand breaks (DSB). Little is known about the initial reaction to simultaneous induction of DSBs with different complexities. Here, we used live cell microscopy to analyse the behaviour of 53BP1-GFP (green fluorescence protein) foci formation at DSBs induced in U2OS cells by alpha particles, X-rays or mixed beams over a 75 min period post irradiation. X-ray-induced foci rapidly increased and declined over the observation interval. After an initial increase, mixed beam-induced foci remained at a constant level over the observation interval, similarly as alpha-induced foci. The average areas of radiation-induced foci were similar for mixed beams and X-rays, being significantly smaller than those induced by alpha particles. Pixel intensities were highest for mixed beam-induced foci and showed the lowest level of variability over time as compared to foci induced by alphas and X-rays alone. Finally, mixed beam-exposed foci showed the lowest level of mobility as compared to alpha and X-ray exposure. The results suggest paralysation of chromatin around foci containing clustered DNA damage.

Due to its ability to induce DNA damage in a space and time controlled manner, ionising radiation is a unique tool for studying the mechanisms of DNA repair. The biological effectiveness of ionising radiation is related to the ionisation density which is defined by the linear energy transfer (LET). Alpha particles are characterised by high LET, while X-rays by low LET values. An interesting question is how cells react when exposed to a mixed beam of high and low LET radiation. In an earlier study carried out with human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) we could demonstrate that alpha radiation X-rays interact in producing more chromosomal aberrations than expected based on additivity. The aim of the present investigation was to look at the mechanism of the interaction, especially with respect to the question if it is due to an augmented level of initial damage or impaired DNA repair. PBL were exposed to various doses of alpha particles, X-rays and mixed beams. DNA damage and the kinetics of damage repair was quantified by the alkaline comet assay. The levels of phosphorylated, key DNA damage response (DDR) proteins ATM, p53 and DNA-PK were measured by Western blotting and mRNA levels of 6 damage-responsive genes were measured by qPCR. Alpha particles and X-rays interact in inducing DNA damage above the level predicted by assuming additivity and that the repair of damage occurs with a delay. The activation levels of DDR proteins and mRNA levels of the studied genes were highest in cells exposed to mixed beams. The results substantiate the idea that exposure to mixed beams presents a challenge for the cellular DDR system.

The survivors of atomic bomb explosions in Hiroshima and Nagasaki are monitored for health effect within the Life Span Study (LSS). The LSS results represent the most important source of knowledge about cancer effects of ionizing radiation and they form the basis for the radiation protection system. One uncertainty connected to deriving universal risk factors from these results is related to the problem of mixed radiation qualities. The atomic bomb explosions generated a mixed beam of the sparsely ionizing gamma radiation and densely ionizing neutrons and what is not taken into consideration is the problem of a possible interaction of the two radiation types in inducing biological effects. The existence of such interaction would suggest that the application of risk factors derived from the LSS to predict cancer effects after exposure to pure gamma radiation (such as in the Fukushima prefecture) leads to an overestimation of risk.In order to analyze the possible interaction of radiation types a mixed beam exposure facility was constructed where cells can be exposed to sparsely ionizing X-rays and densely ionizing alpha particles. U2OS cells were used, which are stably transfected with a plasmid coding for the DNA repair gene 53BP1 coupled to a gene coding for the green fluorescent protein GFP. Induction and repair of DNA damage which are known to be related to cancer induction were analyzed. The results suggest that alpha particles and X-rays interact, leading to cellular, and possibly cancer effects not predictable based on assuming simple additivity of the individual mixed beam components.

Purpose: Recent studies have shown that low temperature (hypothermia) at exposure can act in a radioprotective manner at the level of cytogenetic damage. The mechanisms of this phenomenon are not understood, but it was suggested to be due to hypothermia-induced perturbations of the cell cycle. The purpose of the present study was to detect whether a reduced frequency of micronuclei is observed in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) irradiated at low temperature and harvested sequentially at 3 time points. Additionally, the level of apoptosis was estimated by microscopic analysis of the MN slides. Materials and methods: Experiments were carried out with blood drawn from three donors at the Stockholm University and from three donors at the Jan Kochanowski University. Prior to irradiation, blood samples were incubated for 20 mm and irradiated at the respective temperature (0 degrees C and 37 degrees C) with gamma rays. Whole blood cultures were set up, cytochalasin B was added after 44h of irradiation and the samples were harvested after 72,96 and 120 h of incubation time. Results and conclusions: The frequency of micronuclei was markedly lower in PBL harvested at 72h, 96 h and 120 h following irradiation at 0 degrees C as compared to 37 degrees C. This indicates that the temperature effect observed in peripheral blood lymphocytes after irradiation is not related to a temporary perturbation of the cell cycle. Also, it is not due to selective elimination of damaged cells by apoptosis.