[Radiation and immunity. Interference of ionizing radiation with key immune processes]

Recent evidences of the interference of ionizing radiation into the intimate immune processes are presented in the review. gamma-irradiation induces some events in V-gene rearrangement in T cells. Low-dose irradiation can result in the thymocyte differentiation and activation. Immediately after irradiation stromal thymic cell activity are stimulated and in the later stages it is depressed. Irradiation induces an expression of some functionally important molecules on a surface of the cells of immune system and thus influences the processes of cell interaction, costimulation, adhesion and transvascular migration. It is shown that many events of the signal transduction pathways resulting in radiation-induced and activation-induced apoptosis of lymphocyte are general. This data evidence that the possibility of the choice between the death and activation exists for the cells which are undergone to action of ionizing radiation.