Radiation induced bystander effects in mice given low doses of radiation in vivo

The 'bystander effect' phenomenon has challenged the traditional framework for assessing radiation damage by showing radiation induced changes in cells which have not been directly targeted, but are neighbors to or receive medium from directly hit cells. Our group performed a range of single and serial low dose irradiations on two genetically distinct strains of mice. Bladder explants established from these mice were incubated in culture medium, which was used to measure death responses in a keratinocyte reporter system. The study revealed that the medium harvested from bladder tissues' (ITCM) from acutely irradiated C57BL6 but not Balb/c mice, was able to induce clonogenic death. Administration of a priming dose(s) before a challenge dose to both C57BL6 and Balb/c mice stimulated reporter cell survival irrespective of the time interval between dose(s) delivery. When ITCM corresponding to both strains of mice was measured for its calcium mobilization inducing ability, results showed an elevation in intracellular calcium levels that was strain dependent. This indicates that genotype determined the type of bystander signal/response that was produced after exposure to low and acute doses of radiation. However, serial exposure conditions modified bystander signal production to induce similar effects that were characterized by excessive growth.