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Updated: Jul 19, 2026
Expedited Radiation Biodosimetry by Automated Dicentric Chromosome Identification (ADCI) and Dose Estimation
Published on: September 4, 2017
Candidate protein biodosimeters of human exposure to ionizing radiation
Francesco Marchetti1, Matthew A Coleman, Irene M Jones
1Biosciences Directorate, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California, USA.
Purpose:
To conduct a literature review of candidate protein biomarkers for individual radiation biodosimetry of exposure to ionizing radiation.
Materials And Methods:
Reviewed approximately 300 publications (1973 - April 2006) that reported protein effects in mammalian systems after either in vivo or in vitro radiation exposure.
Results:
We found 261 radiation-responsive proteins including 173 human proteins. Most of the studies used high doses of ionizing radiation (>4 Gy) and had no information on dose- or time-responses. The majority of the proteins showed increased amounts or changes in phosphorylation states within 24 h after exposure (range: 1.5- to 10-fold). Of the 47 proteins that are responsive at doses of 1 Gy and below, 6 showed phosphorylation changes at doses below 10 cGy. Proteins were assigned to 9 groups based on consistency of response across species, dose- and time-response information and known role in the radiation damage response.
Conclusions:
ATM (Ataxia telengiectasia mutated), H2AX (histone 2AX), CDKN1A (Cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A), and TP53 (tumor protein 53) are top candidate radiation protein biomarkers. Furthermore, we recommend a panel of protein biomarkers, each with different dose and time optima, to improve individual radiation biodosimetry for discriminating between low-, moderate-, and high-dose exposures. Our findings have applications for early triage and follow-up medical assessments.
