Radiation-Induced Division Delay in Chinese Hamster Ovary Fibroblast and Carcinoma Cells: Dose Effect and Ploidy

Abstract

The mitotic selection procedure for cell cycle analysis was utilized to investigate the G/sub 2/ transition point for and the duration of radiation-induced division delay in diploid and tetraploid Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) fibroblasts and in Chinese hamster ovarian carcinoma cells. The location of the radiation-induced division delay transition point was dose independent at high doses and located approximately 42 min before division. At lower doses only an estimate of the point of blockade was possible; but the G/sub 2/ transition point appeared to be earlier in the cell cycle. The duration of radiation-induced division delay was dose dependent. This response is consistent with a sensitive population of cells in late G/sub 2/ that define the location of the transition point and the length of division delay. There was no difference observed in the dose response for radiation-induced division delay between the pseudotetraploid cell line of CHO and the pseudodiploid parent strain. However, in the cell line derived from a spontaneous Chinese hamster ovarian carcinoma the division delay was 39 +- 4 min/Gy. Therefore, radiation-induced division delay is independent of chromosome ploidy, but can show intraspecies cell line specificity.