Dynamics of γH2AX formation and elimination in mammalian cells after X-irradiation

Phosphorylation of the replacement histone H2AX occurs in megabase chromatin domains around DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), and this modification called γH2AX can be used as an effective marker for DSB repair and DNA damage response. In this study, we examined a bystander effect (BE) in locally irradiated embryonic human fibroblasts. Using fluorescence microscopy, we found that BE could be observed 1 h after X-ray irradiation (IR) and was completely eliminated 24 h after IR. Using immunohistochemistry and immunoblotting, we also studied kinetics of γH2AX formation and elimination in Syrian hamster and mouse tissues after whole body IR of animals. Analysis of hamster tissues at different times after IR at the dose 5 Gy showed that γH2AX-associated fluorescence in heart was decreased slowly with about a half level remaining 24 h after IR; at the same time, in brain, the level of γH2AX was about 3 times increased over the control level, and in liver, γH2AX level decreased to control values. We also report that in mouse heart the level of γH2AX measured by immunoblotting is lower than in brain, kidney and liver at different times after IR at the dose 3 Gy. Our observations indicate that there are significant variations in dynamics of γH2AX formation and elimination between non-proliferating mammalian tissues. These variations in γH2AX dynamics in indicated organs partially correlated with the expression level of the major kinase genes involved in H2AX phosphorylation (ATM and DNA-PK).