[Individual radiosensitivity and DNA repair proficiency: the value of the comet assay]

Some rare hereditary syndromes demonstrate high cancer risk and hypersensitivity in response to exposures to agents such as ultraviolet or ionising radiation, and are characterised by a defective processing of DNA damage. They highlight the importance of the individual capacity of restoring the genomic integrity in the individual risk associated to exposures. The comet assay, a simple technique that detects DNA strand breaks, requires few cells and allows examination of DNA repair capacities in established cell lines, in blood samples or biopsies. The assay has been validated on cellular systems with known repair defects such as xeroderma pigmentosum defective in nucleotide excision repair, on mutant rodent cell lines defective in DNA single strand break rejoining (XRCC1) (alkaline version) or DNA double strand breaks rejoining (XRCC5/Ku80 and XRCC7/DNAPKcs) (neutral conditions). This assay does not allow to distinguish a defective phenotype in ataxia telangiectasia cells. It shows in homozygous mouse embryo fibroblasts Brca2-/- an impaired DNA double strand break rejoining. Simplicity, rapidity and sensitivity of the alkaline comet assay allow to examine the response of lymphocytes. It has been applied to the analysis of the role of DNA repair in the pathogenesis of collagen diseases, and the involvement of individual DNA repair proficiency in the thyroid tumorigenesis induced in some patients after therapeutic irradiation at childhood has been questioned. Preliminary results of these studies suggest that this type of approach could help for adapting treatment modalities and surveillance in subgroups of patients defective in DNA repair process. It could also have some incidence in the radioprotection field.