Abstract
Lateral root-tip cells of Vicia faba were irradiated under aerobic and anaerobic conditions with various doses of X-rays and the frequencies of sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) and chromosomal aberrations analyzed. Whereas the frequencies of X-ray-induced chromosomal aberrations were strongly potentiated by oxygen (oxygen enhancement ratio, OER = 2.4), the induction of SCE was comparatively little affected (OER = 1.4). A comparison between these observations and the information available on the influence of oxygen on various types of DNA lesion induced by sparsely ionizing radiation indicates that SCE is likely to be induced by base damage, rather than by strand breaks, whereas both types of lesion might give rise to chromosomal aberrations.
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