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Diffuse Optical Spectroscopy for the Quantitative Assessment of Acute Ionizing Radiation Induced Skin Toxicity Using a Mouse Model
Published on: May 27, 2016
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Transcriptomes of Wet Skin Biopsies Predict Outcomes after Ionizing Radiation Exposure with Potential Dosimetric
Abdulnaser Alkhalil1, John Clifford2, Stacyann M Miller3
1Firefighters' Burn and Surgical Research Laboratory, MedStar Health Research Institute, Washington, DC 20010, USA.
Current Issues in Molecular Biology
|August 25, 2022
Summary
Transcriptional alterations in mice skin biopsies can help diagnose and predict radiation injury. Sublethal radiation doses induced dynamic, upregulated gene expression, while lethal doses caused sustained downregulation.
Area of Science:
- Radiation biology
- Systems biology
- Genomics
Background:
- Radiation countermeasures lag behind nuclear advancements.
- Understanding radiation injury mechanisms is crucial.
- Transcriptional alterations offer potential for radiation diagnosis and prognosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- Evaluate transcriptional alterations for radiation diagnosis and prognosis.
- Differentiate responses to lethal versus sublethal ionizing radiation doses.
- Identify potential dosimetric marker genes.
Main Methods:
- Mice skin biopsies analyzed at multiple time points post-exposure (2h to 28d).
- Exposure to varying doses of whole-body ionizing radiation (1, 3, 6, 20 Gy).
- Statistical analysis of significantly differentially transcribed genes (SDTGs).
Main Results:
- Distinct transcriptional profiles observed between lethal (20 Gy) and sublethal doses.
- Lethal doses resulted in stationary downregulation; sublethal doses showed dynamic, upregulated responses.
- Longitudinal analysis revealed dose-dependent, delayed, and extended responses.
Conclusions:
- Transcriptional profiling can distinguish between lethal and sublethal radiation exposures.
- Identified genes show potential as biomarkers for radiation dosimetry.
- Radiation response pathways (immune, fibrosis, detoxification, etc.) are differentially regulated based on dose and time.
