Correlation between gamma-ray-induced DNA double-strand breakage and cell killing after biologically relevant doses:...

We examined the degree of correlation between gamma-ray-induced lethality and DNA double-strand breaks (dsbs) after biologically relevant doses of radiation. Radiation lethality was modified by treating 14C-labelled Chinese hamster ovary cells with either of two aminothiols (WR-1065 or WR-25591) and the associated effect on dsb induction was determined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The use of phosphorimaging to analyse the distribution of 14C-activity in the gel greatly improved the low-dose resolution of the PFGE assay. Both WR-1065 and WR-25591 protected against dsb induction and lethality to a similar extent after low doses of radiation, although this correlation broke down when supralethal doses were used to induce dsbs. Thus, the level of dsbs induced in these cells as measured by PFGE after survival-curve doses of gamma-radiation is consistently predictive of the degree of lethality obtained, implying a case-effect relationship between these two parameters and confirming previous results obtained using the neutral filter elution assay for dsbs.