Mammalian cell viral capacity: an alternative assay for ultraviolet radiation damage

A comparison is made between the use of colony forming ability and the capacity of cells to produce viruses following infection (called capacity) as assays for the response of mammalian cells to UV radiation. Experiments using two different types of mammalian cells, a rapidly growing, good colony forming monkey kidney cell line (CV-1P) and a slowly growing human skin fibroblast line that was a relatively poor and variable colony former (XP25RO), were conducted using both assay systems. Viral capacity was found to be a more consistent indicator of UV damage to cultured cells than was colony forming ability, especially for the XP25RO cells. Apparent advantages and disadvantages of the use of capacity as an indicator of UV radiation damage are discussed.