Comparison of radiation sensitivity for three cell lines as measured by the cloning assay and the micro-nucleus test

The correlation between cell killing and the induction of micro-nuclei was studied for three cell lines after treatment with gamma radiation to investigate whether the frequency of micro-nucleated cells can be used to determine the radiation sensitivity of a cell type. R1 rat rhabdomyosarcoma cells showed a higher sensitivity for the induction of proliferative death than RUC rat ureter carcinoma cells and V79 Chinese hamster cells which had a similar radiation sensitivity. The frequencies of micro-nucleated cells were measured at 48 hours after the treatment. It was determined by time-lapse cinematography that almost all the cells in the treated cultures had divided at that time. Our results indicate that for these cell lines the correlation between the effectiveness for cell killing and the induction of micro-nuclei was the same, within the experimental errors.