[Irradiation sensitivity of cells heterozygote for ataxia telangiectasia]

The frequency of chromosome aberrations after in vitro exposure to different radiation doses in lymphocyte cultures of heterozygotes according to ataxia-teleangiectasia (AT) was compared to that in control donors. A increased frequency of dicentrics and rings of heterozygotic cells according to AT was observed upon exposure to relatively low radiation doses (40 and 80 rad). Meanwhile the increased dose (160 rad) brought about no differences. No differences were found in the frequency of cells with chromosome aberrations.