Analysis method of cellular stress caused by intermediate dose-rate irradiation using a cell lysate array technique

Ionizing radiation damages DNA and may lead to the development of cancer. Irradiation also generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) which cause damage to various biological molecules. Relatively low dose-rate irradiation causes less damage. However, the damage and its effects on cell fate are difficult to evaluate. To develop a method to analyze the damage and accompanying changes in physiology in cells irradiated by γ-rays at a relatively low dose-rate, we used the protein array technique to quantify marker proteins involved in the stress response and the regulation of cell growth and death. This method enabled efficient analyses of many replicates of experimental data on cell lysate samples. We detected relatively small changes in the levels of these proteins in the irradiated cells. Changes in protein levels suggested ROS production and DNA damage as well as cell cycle retardation and the progression of cellular senescence. Thus, our approach shows promise for analyzing the biological effects of relatively low dose-rate irradiation.