Effect of membrane fatty acid composition on radiosensitivity of V79 Chinese hamster cells

Exponentially growing V79-379A Chinese hamster fibroblasts were transferred to low-lipid medium enriched with a single fatty acid of the C18 series. After 24 h at 37 degrees C, the fatty acid composition was determined by gas chromatography of the corresponding methyl esters for the total lipid extracts of the cells and for the nuclear membrane fraction. Radiation survival curves, based upon a clonogenic assay, were obtained by irradiation with low dose-rate 60Co gamma rays at either 4 degrees C or room temperature. We observe no effect of fatty acid upon radiosensitivity of these cells at either temperature, in confirmation of published reports with other mammalian cell lines.