Distinct difference in relative biological effectiveness of 252Cf neutrons for the induction of mitotic crossing over and intragenic reversion of the white-ivory allele in Drosophila melanogaster

Relative biological effectiveness of fission neutrons for producing micronuclei in the root-tip cells of onion seedlings after irradiation as dry seeds

The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of mixed neutron and gamma-ray radiation emitted at a 252Cf source at the Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine, Hiroshima University, compared with 60Co gamma-ray radiation was determined. The tissue-absorbed dose contribution of the accompanying gamma radiation was about 35.7% to the total tissue-absorbed dose from the 252Cf mixed radiation. The 252Cf mixed radiation and 60Co gamma rays produced approximate linear changes in the frequency of micronuclei induced in root-tip cells of Allium cepa L. onion seedlings after irradiation as dry dormant seeds with varying absorbed doses in onion seeds. Therefore, the RBE for radiation-induced micronuclei was calculated as the ratio of the slopes for the 252Cf mixed radiation and the 60Co gamma rays. The deduced RBE value of 252Cf mixed radiation to 60Co gamma rays to induce micronuclei in dry dormant onion seed cells was about 90.5 +/- 3.6 (+/- 1sigma); the RBE of neutrons from the 252Cf mixed radiation was about 150 +/- 6 (+/- 1sigma). Furthermore, the sensitivity ratio of the induction rate of micronuclei in dry dormant seeds to that in seedlings by neutrons from 252Cf mixed radiation was significantly different from that by 60Co gamma rays. From these results, we concluded that the repair efficiency of DNA damage induced by neutrons may be different from that by gamma rays.

Untargeted mutation of the maternally derived mouse hypervariable minisatellite allele in F1 mice born to irradiated spermatozoa

Length change mutation at the Ms6hm hypervariable mouse minisatellite locus was analyzed in C57BL/6N x C3H/HeN F(1) mice and the F(1) of the reciprocal cross born to irradiated male parents. Spontaneous mutant frequencies were 8.4% and 9.8% for the paternally derived and maternally derived C3H/HeN alleles, respectively. The mutant frequencies for the paternally derived allele increased to 22% and 19% when the male parents were irradiated with 6 Gy at the postmeiotic spermatozoa stage and the spermatogonia stage, respectively. These increases in the mutant frequency were at least 10 to 100 times higher than those expected from the frequency of hits to the 3- to 4-kb allele, suggesting that the length change mutation at this minisatellite locus was not a targeted event due directly to DNA damage in the region. Further analysis demonstrated that the mutant frequency increased also at the maternally derived C3H/HeN allele to 20% when the male parents were irradiated at the spermatozoa stage. This increase in the maternal allele mutation was not observed in F(1) born to irradiated spermatogonia. The present study suggests that introduction of DNA damage by irradiated sperm triggers genomic instability in zygotes and in embryos of subsequent developmental stages, and this genomic instability induces untargeted mutation in cis at the paternally derived minisatellite allele and in trans at the maternally derived unirradiated allele. Untargeted mutation revealed in the present study defines a previously unnoticed genetic hazard to the maternally derived genome by the paternally introduced DNA damage.

Untargeted mutation of the maternally derived mouse hypervariable minisatellite allele in F1 mice born to irradiated spermatozoa

Length change mutation at the Ms6hm hypervariable mouse minisatellite locus was analyzed in C57BL/6N x C3H/HeN F(1) mice and the F(1) of the reciprocal cross born to irradiated male parents. Spontaneous mutant frequencies were 8.4% and 9.8% for the paternally derived and maternally derived C3H/HeN alleles, respectively. The mutant frequencies for the paternally derived allele increased to 22% and 19% when the male parents were irradiated with 6 Gy at the postmeiotic spermatozoa stage and the spermatogonia stage, respectively. These increases in the mutant frequency were at least 10 to 100 times higher than those expected from the frequency of hits to the 3- to 4-kb allele, suggesting that the length change mutation at this minisatellite locus was not a targeted event due directly to DNA damage in the region. Further analysis demonstrated that the mutant frequency increased also at the maternally derived C3H/HeN allele to 20% when the male parents were irradiated at the spermatozoa stage. This increase in the maternal allele mutation was not observed in F(1) born to irradiated spermatogonia. The present study suggests that introduction of DNA damage by irradiated sperm triggers genomic instability in zygotes and in embryos of subsequent developmental stages, and this genomic instability induces untargeted mutation in cis at the paternally derived minisatellite allele and in trans at the maternally derived unirradiated allele. Untargeted mutation revealed in the present study defines a previously unnoticed genetic hazard to the maternally derived genome by the paternally introduced DNA damage.

RBE-LET relationships in mutagenesis by ionizing radiation

The paper considers the relationship between the quality of radiation and biological lesions produced by ionizing radiation. The paper provides a brief review of the modelling of induction of strand breakage, chromosome aberration, revertant mutation in bacteria and Drosophila melanogaster. Experimental data are presented for the relative biological effectiveness of helium ions and alpha-particles for mutation induction and genome lethality in Escherichia coli. The paper examines the relationship between the mutational events and LET. The RBE-LET values for T4 phage, E. coli WP2 and mwh (multiple wing hair) show dependency on LET while the wi (white-ivory) allele mutants show no dependency.

RBE-LET relationships of high-LET radiations in Drosophila mutations

The relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of 252Cf neutrons and synchrotron-generated high-energy charged particles for mutation induction was evaluated as a function of linear energy transfer (LET), using the loss of heterozygosity for wing-hair mutations and the reversion of the mutant white-ivory eye-color in Drosophila melanogaster. Loss of heterozygosity for wing-hair mutations results predominantly from mitotic crossing over induced in wing anlage cells of larvae, while the reverse mutation of eye-color is due to an intragenic structural change (2.96 kb-DNA excision) in the white locus on the X-chromosome. The measurements were performed in a combined mutation assay system so that induced mutant wing-hair clones as well as revertant eye-color clone can be detected simultaneously in the same individual. Larvae were irradiated at the age of 3 days post oviposition with 252Cf neutrons, carbon beam or neon beam. For the neutron irradiation, the RBE values for wing-hair mutations were larger than that for eye-color mutation by about 7 fold. The RBE of carbon ions for producing the wing-hair mutations increased with increase in LET. The estimated RBE values were found to be in the range 2 to 6.5 for the wing-hair. For neon beam irradiation, the RBE values for wing-hair mutations peak near 150 keV/micron and decrease with further increase in LET. On the other hand, the RBE values for the induction of the eye-color mutation are nearly unity in 252Cf neutrons and both ions throughout the LET range irradiated. We discuss the relationships between the initial DNA damage and LET in considering the mechanism of somatic mutation induction.

The relative biological effectiveness of accelerated carbon ions with different LET for inducing mitotic crossing over and intragenic reversion of the white-ivory allele in Drosophila larvae

PURPOSE

To evaluate the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of accelerated carbon ions generated with a synchrotron for inducing mutations as a function of linear energy transfer (LET), using the loss of heterozygosity for wing-hair mutations and the reversion of the mutant white-ivory eye-colour in Drosophila melanogaster.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The measurements were made using a combined mutation assay system so that induced mutant wing-hair clones as well as revertant eye-colour clones can be detected simultaneously in the same fly. Larvae were irradiated at the age of 72+/-6 h post-oviposition with X-rays or carbon ions with LET values of 13, 60 and 95 keV/microm.

RESULTS

The RBE of carbon ions for producing wing-hair mosaic spots increased with increasing LET values. The RBE for the induction of eye-colour mutants did not change with LET. The estimated RBE values were found to be in the range 2 to 6.5 for the wing-hair and nearly unity for the eye-colour mosaic spot mutations.

CONCLUSIONS

RBE-LET relationships were obtained for the induction of wing-hair and eye-colour mosaic spots. These relationships suggest that more complex types of DNA damage, such as nonrejoinable strand breaks that increase with LET, may be responsible for inducing the wing-hair mutation, while more simple forms of molecular damage induce reversion in the white-ivory allele.

Mutations induced in Drosophila during space flight

To examine the possible effects of space radiation on living organisms, fruit flies Drosophila melanogaster were loaded on the US Space Shuttle Endeavour, and after the flight we have analyzed two types of mutations, sex-linked recessive lethal mutations induced in male reproductive cells and somatic mutations which give rise to morphological changes in hairs growing on the surface of wing epidermal cells. Wild type strains and a radiation-sensitive strain mei-41 were used. The frequencies of sex-linked recessive lethal mutations in flight groups were 2 and 3 times higher for wild type Canton-S and mei-41 strains, respectively, than those in ground control groups. By contrast, the frequencies of wing-hair somatic mutations differed little between flight and control groups. The possibility that the space environment causes mutations in certain types of cells such as male reproductive cells, is discussed.