Variations of chromosome radiation sensitivity in fetal and adult mice during gestation

Mice were exposed to 2 Gy of gamma-rays at various days of pregnancy, and just before and after gestation. Chromosomes were analyzed 4 h after irradiation in spontaneously dividing hematopoietic cells from liver for fetuses and bone marrow for mothers. On average, there was significantly less chromosome damage in fetuses than in mothers. A very strong increase of chromosome breakage was observed in mothers at days 16-19 of gestation. This increase parallels that of gestation hormones, suggesting a direct relationship. The differences between fetuses and mothers in relation to gestation age result from the increase in the rate of chromatid and chromosome breaks but not of chromatid exchanges, which remained stable. This suggests that a DNA repair step involved in joining broken extremities is the cause. More experiments are needed to understand the origin of these variations of radiation sensitivity and the possible extrapolation of these observations to other species.