Comparison of Coding Transcriptomes in Fibroblasts Irradiated With Low and High LET Proton Beams and Cobalt-60...

Area of Science:

• Radiation oncology
• Molecular biology
• Genomics

Background:

• Understanding cellular responses to different radiation types is crucial for optimizing cancer therapy and minimizing side effects.
• Proton and photon irradiation possess distinct physical and biological properties that can lead to differential cellular effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the transcriptomic profiles of primary fibroblasts following irradiation with proton and photon beams.
• To identify differential gene expression patterns induced by varying linear energy transfer (LET) radiation.

Main Methods:

• Primary dermal fibroblast cultures were irradiated with low and high LET proton beams and Cobalt-60 photon beams.
• RNA sequencing was performed 2 hours post-irradiation.
• Differential gene expression analysis was conducted using the edgeR package in R.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in gene expression were observed between radiation types.
• The high LET proton group and Cobalt-60 photon group exhibited the most distinct transcriptome profiles, with 725 differentially regulated genes.
• Key pathways involved in inflammation, carcinogenesis, and cell cycle control were differentially regulated.

Conclusions:

• Higher LET proton irradiation and Cobalt-60 photon irradiation elicit distinct cellular responses at the transcriptomic level.
• Differential regulation of inflammatory and malignant transformation factors suggests potential impacts on normal tissue complications and secondary cancer risk.