Ionizing radiation perturbs the switch-on of transcriptase in a model transcription complex in vitro

Ionizing radiation markedly alters the response of the reovirus transcriptase unblocking mechanism to stimulation by K+ ions, which normally trigger the switch-on of transcription in this system. In irradiated subviral particles the concentration of K+ ions needed to trigger switch-on is reduced in a dose-dependent way. The observed alteration of switch-on characteristics appears to correlate with alteration of the electrophoretic behaviour of a single major polypeptide species. These observations have important implications for understanding some of the effects of ionizing radiation on cells, most notably the induction of both latent virus and cell differentiation.