Effects of internal low-dose irradiation from 131I on gene expression in normal tissues in Balb/c mice

The human retroviral-like aspartic protease 1 (ASPRV1): from in vitro studies to clinical correlations

The human retroviral-like aspartic protease 1 (ASPRV1) is a retroviral-like protein that was first identified in the skin due to its expression in the stratum granulosum layer of the epidermis. Accordingly, it is also referred to as skin-specific aspartic protease (SASPase). Similar to the retroviral polyproteins, the full-length ASPRV1 also undergoes self-proteolysis, the processing of the precursor is necessary for the auto-activation of the protease domain. ASPRV1's functions are well established at the level of the skin: it is part of the epidermal proteolytic network and has a significant contribution to skin moisturization via the limited proteolysis of filaggrin; its only natural protein substrate identified so far. Filaggrin and ASPRV1 are also specific for mammalians, these proteins provide unique features for the skins of these species, and the importance of filaggrin processing in hydration is proved by the fact that some ASPRV1 mutations are associated with skin diseases such as ichthyosis. ASPRV1 was also found to be expressed in macrophage-like neutrophil cells, indicating that its functions are not limited to the skin. In addition, differential expression of ASPRV1 was detected in many diseases, with yet unknown significance. The currently known enzymatic characteristics - that had been revealed mainly by in vitro studies - and correlations with pathogenic phenotypes imply potentially important functions in multiple cell types, which makes the protein a promising target of functional studies. In this review we describe the currently available knowledge and future perspective in regard to ASPRV1.

Gene Abnormalities and Modulated Gene Expression Associated with Radionuclide Treatment: Towards Predictive Biomarkers of Response

Molecular radiotherapy (MRT), also known as radioimmunotherapy or targeted radiotherapy, is the delivery of radionuclides to tumours by targeting receptors overexpressed on the cancer cell. Currently it is used in the treatment of a few cancer types including lymphoma, neuroendocrine, and prostate cancer. Recently reported outcomes demonstrating improvements in patient survival have led to an upsurge in interest in MRT particularly for the treatment of prostate cancer. Unfortunately, between 30% and 40% of patients do not respond. Further normal tissue exposure, especially kidney and salivary gland due to receptor expression, result in toxicity, including dry mouth. Predictive biomarkers to select patients who will benefit from MRT are crucial. Whilst pre-treatment imaging with imaging versions of the therapeutic agents is useful in demonstrating tumour binding and potentially organ toxicity, they do not necessarily predict patient benefit, which is dependent on tumour radiosensitivity. Transcript-based biomarkers have proven useful in tailoring external beam radiotherapy and adjuvant treatment. However, few studies have attempted to derive signatures for MRT response prediction. Here, transcriptomic studies that have identified genes associated with clinical radionuclide exposure have been reviewed. These studies will provide potential features for seeding multi-component biomarkers of MRT response.

Age and sex effects across the blood proteome after ionizing radiation exposure can bias biomarker screening and risk assessment

Molecular biomarkers of ionizing radiation (IR) exposure are a promising new tool in various disciplines: they can give necessary information for adaptive treatment planning in cancer radiotherapy, enable risk projection for radiation-induced survivorship diseases, or facilitate triage and intervention in radiation hazard events. However, radiation biomarker discovery has not yet resolved the most basic features of personalized medicine: age and sex. To overcome this critical bias in biomarker identification, we quantitated age and sex effects and assessed their relevance in the radiation response across the blood proteome. We used high-throughput mass spectrometry on blood plasma collected 24 h after 0.5 Gy total body irradiation (15 MV nominal photon energy) from male and female C57BL/6 N mice at juvenile (7-weeks-old) or adult (18-weeks-old) age. We also assessed sex and strain effects using juvenile male and female BALB/c nude mice. We showed that age and sex created significant effects in the proteomic response regarding both extent and functional quality of IR-induced responses. Furthermore, we found that age and sex effects appeared non-linear and were often end-point specific. Overall, age contributed more to differences in the proteomic response than sex, most notably in immune responses, oxidative stress, and apoptotic cell death. Interestingly, sex effects were pronounced for DNA damage and repair pathways and associated cellular outcome (pro-survival vs. pro-apoptotic). Only one protein (AHSP) was identified as a potential general biomarker candidate across age and sex, while GMNN, REG3B, and SNCA indicated some response similarity across age. This low yield advocated that unisex or uniage biomarker screening approaches are not feasible. In conclusion, age- and sex-specific screening approaches should be implemented as standard protocol to ensure robustness and diagnostic power of biomarker candidates. Bias-free molecular biomarkers are a necessary progression towards personalized medicine and integral for advanced adaptive cancer radiotherapy and risk assessment.

Peripheral Blood Transcript Signatures after Internal 131I-mIBG Therapy in Relapsed and Refractory Neuroblastoma Patients Identifies Early and Late Biomarkers of Internal 131I Exposures

131I-metaiodobenzylguanidine (131I-mIBG) is a targeted radiation therapy developed for the treatment of advanced neuroblastoma. We have previously shown that this patient cohort can be used to predict absorbed dose associated with early 131I exposure, 72 h after treatment. We now expand these studies to identify gene expression differences associated with 131I-mIBG exposure 15 days after treatment. Total RNA from peripheral blood lymphocytes was isolated from 288 whole blood samples representing 59 relapsed or refractory neuroblastoma patients before and after 131I-mIBG treatment. We found that several transcripts predictive of early exposure returned to baseline levels by day 15, however, selected transcripts did not return to baseline. At 72 h, all 17 selected pathway-specific transcripts were differentially expressed. Transcripts CDKN1A (P < 0.000001), FDXR (P < 0.000001), DDB2 (P < 0.000001), and BBC3 (P < 0.000001) showed the highest up-regulation at 72 h after 131I-mIBG exposure, with mean log2 fold changes of 2.55, 2.93, 1.86 and 1.85, respectively. At day 15 after 131I-mIBG, 11 of the 17 selected transcripts were differentially expressed, with XPC, STAT5B, PRKDC, MDM2, POLH, IGF1R, and SGK1 displaying significant up-regulation at 72 h and significant down-regulation at day 15. Interestingly, transcripts FDXR (P = 0.01), DDB2 (P = 0.03), BCL2 (P = 0.003), and SESN1 (P < 0.0003) maintained differential expression 15 days after 131I-mIBG treatment. These results suggest that transcript levels for DNA repair, apoptosis, and ionizing radiation-induced cellular stress are still changing by 15 days after 131I-mIBG treatment. Our studies showcase the use of biodosimetry gene expression panels as predictive biomarkers following early (72 h) and late (15 days) internal 131I exposure. Our findings also demonstrate the utility of our transcript panel to differentiate exposed from non-exposed individuals up to 15 days after exposure from internal 131I.

Enhanced KRT13 gene expression bestows radiation resistance in squamous cell carcinoma cells

Cancer metastasis and recurrence are potentially lethal. A small number of cancer cell groups called cancer stem cells (CSCs) have both stem cell capacity and cancer-forming ability and are reported to play important roles in cancer metastasis and recurrence. These CSCs are considered to be radiation-resistant (RR). Therefore, understanding the biological effects of radiation on squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cell lines in vitro and in vivo might be worthwhile to circumvent radiation resistance. Currently, there are no reports on the establishment of RR-SCC cells in serum-free defined culture, which mimics biological mechanisms and prevents instability of using serum in the culture medium. We isolated radiation-resistant strains, designated A431-LDR and A431-HDR, from A431 cells derived from vulval SCC and irradiated them with a total dose of 60 Gy at a low-dose rate (2.2 Gy/d) (RM1000) and a high-dose rate (5 Gy/5.75min) in serum-free defined culture. These cells exhibited high sphere-forming and migration ability in vitro and high tumor-forming ability in nude mice xenografts. Overexpression of KRT13 in A431-RR cells might play a role in its radiation-resistant characteristics. These cells might be useful not only to study cancer stem cells but also to study the circumvention of radiation resistance by novel cancer treatment modalities.

Identification of Cofilin-1 and Destrin as Potential Early-warning Biomarkers for Gamma Radiation in Mouse Liver Tissues

Gamma radiation causes cell injury and leads to an increased risk of cancer, so it is of practical significance to identify biomarkers for gamma radiation. We used proteomic analysis to identify differentially expressed proteins in liver tissues of C57BL/6J mice treated with gamma radiation from Cs for 360 d. We confirmed obvious pathological changes in mouse liver tissues after irradiation. Compared with the control group, 74 proteins showed a fold change of ≥1.5 in the irradiated groups. We selected 24 proteins for bioinformatics analysis and peptide mass fingerprinting and found that 20 of the identified proteins were meaningful. These proteins were associated with tumorigenesis, tumor suppression, catalysis, cell apoptosis, cytoskeleton, metabolism, gene transcription, T-cell response, and other pathways. We confirmed that both cofilin-1 and destrin were up regulated in the irradiated groups by western blot and real-time polymerase chain reaction. Our findings indicate that cofilin-1 and destrin are sensitive to gamma radiation and may be potential biomarkers for gamma radiation. Whether these proteins are involved in radiation-induced tumorigenesis requires further investigation.

Deconvolution of expression microarray data reveals 131I-induced responses otherwise undetected in thyroid tissue

High-throughput gene expression analysis is increasingly used in radiation research for discovery of damage-related or absorbed dose-dependent biomarkers. In tissue samples, cell type-specific responses can be masked in expression data due to mixed cell populations which can preclude biomarker discovery. In this study, we deconvolved microarray data from thyroid tissue in order to assess possible bias from mixed cell type data. Transcript expression data [GSE66303] from mouse thyroid that received 5.9 Gy from ¹³¹I over 24 h (or 0 Gy from mock treatment) were deconvolved by cell frequency of follicular cells and C-cells using csSAM and R and processed with Nexus Expression. Literature-based signature genes were used to assess the relative impact from ionizing radiation (IR) or thyroid hormones (TH). Regulation of cellular functions was inferred by enriched biological processes according to Gene Ontology terms. We found that deconvolution increased the detection rate of significantly regulated transcripts including the biomarker candidate family of kallikrein transcripts. Detection of IR-associated and TH-responding signature genes was also increased in deconvolved data, while the dominating trend of TH-responding genes was reproduced. Importantly, responses in biological processes for DNA integrity, gene expression integrity, and cellular stress were not detected in convoluted data–which was in disagreement with expected dose-response relationships–but upon deconvolution in follicular cells and C-cells. In conclusion, previously reported trends of ¹³¹I-induced transcriptional responses in thyroid were reproduced with deconvolved data and usually with a higher detection rate. Deconvolution also resolved an issue with detecting damage and stress responses in enriched data, and may reduce false negatives in other contexts as well. These findings indicate that deconvolution can optimize microarray data analysis of heterogeneous sample material for biomarker screening or other clinical applications.

Gene expression profiling of rat livers after continuous whole-body exposure to low-dose rate of gamma rays

PURPOSE

To study gene expression modulation in response to continuous whole-body exposure to low-dose-rate gamma radiation and improve our understanding of the mechanism of this impact at the molecular basis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

cDNA microarray method with complete pooling of samples was used to study expression changes in the transcriptome profile of livers from rats treated with prolonged low-dose-rate ionizing radiation (IR) relative to that of sham-irradiated rats.

RESULTS

Of the 209 genes that were two-fold-up or down-regulated, 143 were known genes of which 27 were found in previous literatures to be modulated by IR. Remarkably, there were a significant number of differentially expressed genes involved in hepatic lipid metabolism.

CONCLUSION

This study showed changes in transcriptome profile of livers from low-dose irradiated rats when compared with that of sham-irradiated ones. This study will be useful for studying the metabolic changes of human exposed for long term to cosmic ray such as in space and in polar regions.

Validating Baboon Ex Vivo and In Vivo Radiation-Related Gene Expression with Corresponding Human Data

The research for high-throughput diagnostic tests for victims of radio/nuclear incidents remains ongoing. In this context, we have previously identified candidate genes that predict risk of late-occurring hematologic acute radiation syndrome (HARS) in a baboon model. The goal of the current study was to validate these genes after radiation exposure in humans. We also examined ex vivo relative to in vivo measurements in both species and describe dose-response relationships. Eighteen baboons were irradiated in vivo to simulate different patterns of partial- or total-body irradiation (TBI), corresponding to an equivalent dose of 2.5 or 5 Sv. Human in vivo blood samples were obtained from patients exposed to different dose ranges: diagnostic computerized tomography (CT; 0.004-0.018 Sv); radiotherapy for prostate cancer (0.25-0.3 Sv); and TBI of leukemia patients (2 × 1.5 or 2 × 2 Sv, five patients each). Peripheral whole blood of another five baboons and human samples from five healthy donors were cultivated ex vivo and irradiated with 0-4 Sv. RNA was isolated pairwise before and 24 h after irradiation and converted into cDNA. Gene expression of six promising candidate genes found previously by us in a baboon model ( WNT3, POU2AF1, CCR7, ARG2, CD177, WLS), as well as three genes commonly used in ex vivo whole blood experiments ( FDXR, PCNA, DDB2) was measured using qRT-PCR. We confirmed the six baboon candidate genes in leukemia patients. However, expression for the candidate gene FDXR showed an inverse relationship, as it was downregulated in baboons and upregulated in human samples. Comparisons among the in vivo and ex vivo experiments revealed the same pattern in both species and indicated peripheral blood cells to represent the radiation-responsive targets causing WNT3 and POU2AF1 gene expression changes. CCR7, ARG2, CD177 and WLS appeared to be altered due to radiation-responsive targets other than the whole blood cells. Linear dose-response relationships of FDXR, WNT3 and POU2AF1 using human ex vivo samples corresponded with human in vivo samples, suggesting that ex vivo models for in vivo dose estimates can be used over a wide dose range (0.001-5 Sv for POU2AF1). In summary, we validated six baboon candidate genes in humans, but the FDXR measurements underscored the importance of independent assessments even when candidates from animal models have striking gene sequence homology to humans. Since whole blood cells represented the same radiation-responsive targets for FDXR, WNT3 and POU2AF1 gene expression changes, ex vivo cell culture models can be utilized for in vivo dose estimates over a dose range covering up to 3.5 log scales. These findings might be a step forward in the development of a gene expression-based high-throughput diagnostic test for populations involved in large-scale radio/nuclear incidents.

Up-regulation of calreticulin in mouse liver tissues after long-term irradiation with low-dose-rate gamma rays

The biological effects of low-dose or low-dose-rate ionizing radiation on normal tissues has attracted attention. Based on previous research, we observed the morphology of liver tissues of C57BL/6J mice that received <50, 50–500, and 500–1000 μGy/h of ¹³⁷Cs radiation for 180 d. We found that the pathological changes in liver tissues were more obvious as the irradiation dose rates increased. Additionally, differential protein expression in liver tissues was analyzed using a proteomics approach. Compared with the matched group in the 2D gel analysis of the irradiated groups, 69 proteins had ≥ 1.5-fold changes in expression. Twenty-three proteins were selected based on ≥2.5-fold change in expression, and 22 of them were meaningful for bioinformatics and protein fingerprinting analysis. These molecules were relevant to cytoskeleton processes, cell metabolism, biological defense, mitochondrial damage, detoxification and tumorigenesis. The results from real-time PCR and western blot (WB) analyses showed that calreticulin (CRT) was up-regulated in the irradiated groups, which indicates that CRT may be relevant to stress reactions when mouse livers are exposed to low-dose irradiation and that low-dose-rate ionizing radiation may pose a cancer risk. The CRT protein can be a potential candidate for low-dose or low-dose-rate ionizing radiation early-warning biomarkers. However, the underlying mechanism requires further investigation.

Transcriptional response to 131I exposure of rat thyroid gland

Humans are exposed to ¹³¹I in medical diagnostics and treatment but also from nuclear accidents, and better knowledge of the molecular response in thyroid is needed. The aim of the study was to examine the transcriptional response in thyroid tissue 24 h after ¹³¹I administration in rats. The exposure levels were chosen to simulate both the clinical situation and the case of nuclear fallout. Thirty-six male rats were i.v. injected with 0–4700 kBq ¹³¹I, and killed at 24 h after injection (D_thyroid = 0.0058–3.0 Gy). Total RNA was extracted from individual thyroid tissue samples and mRNA levels were determined using oligonucleotide microarray technique. Differentially expressed transcripts were determined using Nexus Expression 3.0. Hierarchical clustering was performed in the R statistical computing environment. Pathway analysis was performed using the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis tool and the Gene Ontology database. T4 and TSH plasma concentrations were measured using ELISA. Totally, 429 differentially regulated transcripts were identified. Downregulation of thyroid hormone biosynthesis associated genes (e.g. thyroglobulin, thyroid peroxidase, the sodium-iodine symporter) was identified in some groups, and an impact on thyroid function was supported by the pathway analysis. Recurring downregulation of Dbp and Slc47a2 was found. Dbp exhibited a pattern with monotonous reduction of downregulation with absorbed dose at 0.0058–0.22 Gy. T4 plasma levels were increased and decreased in rats whose thyroids were exposed to 0.057 and 0.22 Gy, respectively. Different amounts of injected ¹³¹I gave distinct transcriptional responses in the rat thyroid. Transcriptional response related to thyroid function and changes in T4 plasma levels were found already at very low absorbed doses to thyroid.

Transcript Analysis for Internal Biodosimetry Using Peripheral Blood from Neuroblastoma Patients Treated with (131)I-mIBG, a Targeted Radionuclide

Calculating internal dose from therapeutic radionuclides currently relies on estimates made from multiple radiation exposure measurements, converted to absorbed dose in specific organs using the Medical Internal Radiation Dose (MIRD) schema. As an alternative biodosimetric approach, we utilized gene expression analysis of whole blood from patients receiving targeted radiotherapy. Collected blood from patients with relapsed or refractory neuroblastoma who received (131)I-labeled metaiodobenzylguanidine ((131)I-mIBG) at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) was used to compare calculated internal dose with the modulation of chosen gene expression. A total of 40 patients, median age 9 years, had blood drawn at baseline, 72 and 96 h after (131)I-mIBG infusion. Whole-body absorbed dose was calculated for each patient based on the cumulated activity determined from injected mIBG activity and patient-specific time-activity curves combined with (131)I whole-body S factors. We then assessed transcripts that were the most significant for describing the mixed therapeutic treatments over time using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Modulation was evaluated statistically using multiple regression analysis for data at 0, 72 and 96 h. A total of 10 genes were analyzed across 40 patients: CDKN1A; FDXR; GADD45A; BCLXL; STAT5B; BAX; BCL2; DDB2; XPC; and MDM2. Six genes were significantly modulated upon exposure to (131)I-mIBG at 72 h, as well as at 96 h. Four genes varied significantly with absorbed dose when controlling for time. A gene expression biodosimetry model was developed to predict absorbed dose based on modulation of gene transcripts within whole blood. Three transcripts explained over 98% of the variance in the modulation of gene expression over the 96 h (CDKN1A, BAX and DDB2). To our knowledge, this is a novel study, which uses whole blood collected from patients treated with a radiopharmaceutical, to characterize biomarkers that may be useful for biodosimetry. Our data indicate that transcripts, which have been previously identified as biomarkers of external exposures in ex vivo whole blood and in vivo radiotherapy patients, are also good early indicators of internal exposure. However, for internal sources of radiation, the biokinetics and physical decay of the radionuclide strongly influence the gene expression.

Mammary gland and radiation: Knowns and unknowns

Effective breast cancer management and decreasing breast cancer fatalities is contingent upon reliable diagnostic procedures and treatment modalities, including those based on ionizing radiation. On the one hand, ionizing radiation is widely used for cancer diagnostics and therapy, on the other hand it is genotoxic cancer-causing agent. Here we discuss recent studies on the effects of low (diagnostic) and high (treatment) doses of ionizing radiation on healthy breast cells, breast cancer cells, and cancer cells resistant to common drug therapies.

Proteomics analysis of liver tissues from C57BL/6J mice receiving low-dose 137Cs radiation

Differentially expressed proteins in liver tissues of C57BL/6J mice receiving low-dose (137)Cs radiation were examined by proteomics analysis. Compared with the control group, 80 proteins were differentially expressed in the irradiated group. Among the 40 randomly selected proteins used for peptide mass fingerprinting analysis and bioinformatics, 24 were meaningful. These proteins were related to antioxidant defense, amino acid metabolism, detoxification, anti-tumor development, amino acid transport, anti-peroxidation, and composition of respiratory chain. Western blot analysis showed that catalase (CAT), glycine N-methyltransferase (GNMT), and glutathione S-transferase P1 (GSTP1) were up-regulated in the irradiated group; these results were in agreement with qPCR results. These results show that CAT, GNMT, and GSTP1 may be related to stress response induced by low-dose irradiation in mice liver. The underlying mechanism however requires further investigation.

Circadian rhythm influences genome-wide transcriptional responses to (131)I in a tissue-specific manner in mice

Background

Circadian variation of gene expression is often neglected when ionizing radiation-induced effects are studied, whether in animal models or in cell culture. This study characterized diurnal variation of genome-wide transcriptional regulation and responses of potential biomarkers and signature genes in normal mouse tissues at 24 h after i.v. administration of ¹³¹I.

Methods

Female BALB/c nude mice were i.v. injected with 90 kBq ¹³¹I at 9:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., or 3:00 p.m. and killed after 24 h (n = 4/group). Paired control groups were mock-treated (n = 3–4/group). The kidneys, liver, lungs, spleen, and thyroid were excised, snap-frozen, and stored at −80 °C until extraction of total RNA. RNA microarray technology was used for genome-wide expression analysis. Enriched biological processes were categorized after cellular function. Signature genes for ionizing radiation and thyroid hormone-induced responses were taken from the literature. Absorbed dose was estimated using the Medical Internal Radiation Dose (MIRD) formalism.

Results

The thyroid received an absorbed dose of 5.9 Gy and non-thyroid tissues received 0.75–2.2 mGy over 24 h. A distinct peak in the total number of significantly regulated transcripts was observed at 9:00 a.m. in the thyroid, but 3 h later in the kidney cortex, kidney medulla, and liver. Transcriptional regulation in the lungs and spleen was marginal. Associated cellular functions generally varied in quality and response strength between morning, noon, and afternoon. In the thyroid, 25 genes were significantly regulated at all investigated times of day, and 24 thereof showed a distinct pattern of pronounced down-regulation at 9:00 a.m. and comparatively weak up-regulation at later times. Eleven of these genes belonged to the species-specific kallikrein subfamily Klk1b. Responses in signature genes for thyroid hormone-induced responses were more frequent than for ionizing radiation, and trends persisted irrespective of time of day.

Conclusion

Diurnal variation of genome-wide transcriptional responses to 90 kBq ¹³¹I was demonstrated for the thyroid, kidney cortex and medulla, and liver, whereas variation was only marginal in the lungs and spleen. Overall, significant detection of potential biomarkers and signature genes was validated at each time of day, although direction of regulation and fold-change differed between morning, noon, and afternoon. These findings suggest that circadian rhythm should be considered in radiation research and that biological and analytical endpoints should be validated for circadian robustness.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13550-015-0150-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Gene expression signature in mouse thyroid tissue after (131)I and (211)At exposure

BACKGROUND

(131)I and (211)At are used in nuclear medicine and accumulate in the thyroid gland and may impact normal thyroid function. The aim of this study was to determine transcriptional profile variations, assess the impact on cellular activity, and identify genes with biomarker properties in thyroid tissue after (131)I and (211)At administration in mice.

METHODS

To further investigate thyroid tissue transcriptional responses to (131)I and (211)At administration, we generated a new transcriptional dataset that includes re-evaluated raw intensity values from our previous (131)I and (211)At studies. Differential transcriptional profiles were identified by comparing treated and mock-treated samples using Nexus Expression 3.0 software. Further data analysis was performed using R/Bioconductor and IPA.

RESULTS

A total of 1144 genes were regulated. Hierarchical clustering subdivided the groups into two clusters containing the lowest and highest absorbed dose levels, respectively, and revealed similar transcriptional regulation patterns for many kallikrein-related genes. Twenty-seven of the 1144 genes were recurrently regulated after (131)I and (211)At exposure and divided into six clusters. Several signalling pathways were affected, including calcium, integrin-linked kinase, and thyroid cancer signalling, and the peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor network.

CONCLUSIONS

Substantial changes in transcriptional regulation were shown in (131)I and (211)At-treated samples, and 27 genes were identified as potential biomarkers for (131)I and (211)At exposure. Clustering revealed distinct differences between transcriptional profiles of both similar and different exposures, demonstrating the necessity for better understanding of radiation-induced effects on cellular activity. Additionally, ionizing radiation-induced changes in kallikrein gene expression and identified canonical pathways should be further assessed.

Effect of 90Sr internal emitter on gene expression in mouse blood

Background

The radioactive isotope Strontium-90 (⁹⁰Sr) may be released as a component of fallout from nuclear accidents, or in the event of a radiological incident such as detonation of an improvised nuclear device, and if ingested poses a significant health risk to exposed individuals. In order to better understand the response to ⁹⁰Sr, using an easily attainable and standard biodosimetry sample fluid, we analyzed the global transcriptomic response of blood cells in an in vivo model system.

Results

We injected C57BL/6 mice with a solution of 90SrCl2 and followed them over a 30-day period. At days 4, 7, 9, 25 and 30, we collected blood and isolated RNA for microarray analyses. These days corresponded to target doses in a range from 1–5 Gy. We investigated changes in mRNA levels using microarrays, and changes in specific microRNA (miRNA) predicted to be involved in the response using qRT-PCR. We identified 8082 differentially expressed genes in the blood of mice exposed to ⁹⁰Sr compared with controls. Common biological functions were affected throughout the study, including apoptosis of B and T lymphocytes, and atrophy of lymphoid organs. Cellular functions such as RNA degradation and lipid metabolism were also affected during the study. The broad down regulation of genes observed in our study suggested a potential role for miRNA in gene regulation. We tested candidate miRNAs, mmu-miR-16, mmu-miR-124, mmu-miR-125 and mmu-mir-21; and found that all were induced at the earliest time point, day 4.

Conclusions

Our study is the first to report the transcriptomic response of blood cells to the internal emitter ⁹⁰Sr in mouse and a possible role for microRNA in gene regulation after ⁹⁰Sr exposure. The most dramatic effect was observed on gene expression related to B-cell development and RNA maintenance. These functions were affected by genes that were down regulated throughout the study, suggesting severely compromised antigen response, which may be a result of the deposition of the radioisotope proximal to the hematopoietic compartment in bone.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-015-1774-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Transcriptional Response in Mouse Thyroid Tissue after 211At Administration: Effects of Absorbed Dose, Initial Dose-Rate and Time after Administration

BACKGROUND

211At-labeled radiopharmaceuticals are potentially useful for tumor therapy. However, a limitation has been the preferential accumulation of released 211At in the thyroid gland, which is a critical organ for such therapy. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of absorbed dose, dose-rate, and time after 211At exposure on genome-wide transcriptional expression in mouse thyroid gland.

METHODS

BALB/c mice were i.v. injected with 1.7, 7.5 or 100 kBq 211At. Animals injected with 1.7 kBq were killed after 1, 6, or 168 h with mean thyroid absorbed doses of 0.023, 0.32, and 1.8 Gy, respectively. Animals injected with 7.5 and 100 kBq were killed after 6 and 1 h, respectively; mean thyroid absorbed dose was 1.4 Gy. Total RNA was extracted from pooled thyroids and the Illumina RNA microarray platform was used to determine mRNA levels. Differentially expressed transcripts and enriched GO terms were determined with adjusted p-value <0.01 and fold change >1.5, and p-value <0.05, respectively.

RESULTS

In total, 1232 differentially expressed transcripts were detected after 211At administration, demonstrating a profound effect on gene regulation. The number of regulated transcripts increased with higher initial dose-rate/absorbed dose at 1 or 6 h. However, the number of regulated transcripts decreased with mean absorbed dose/time after 1.7 kBq 211At administration. Furthermore, similar regulation profiles were seen for groups administered 1.7 kBq. Interestingly, few previously proposed radiation responsive genes were detected in the present study. Regulation of immunological processes were prevalent at 1, 6, and 168 h after 1.7 kBq administration (0.023, 0.32, 1.8 Gy).

Radiation dose-rate effects on gene expression for human biodosimetry

Background

The effects of dose-rate and its implications on radiation biodosimetry methods are not well studied in the context of large-scale radiological scenarios. There are significant health risks to individuals exposed to an acute dose, but a realistic scenario would include exposure to both high and low dose-rates, from both external and internal radioactivity. It is important therefore, to understand the biological response to prolonged exposure; and further, discover biomarkers that can be used to estimate damage from low-dose rate exposures and propose appropriate clinical treatment.

Methods

We irradiated human whole blood ex vivo to three doses, 0.56 Gy, 2.23 Gy and 4.45 Gy, using two dose rates: acute, 1.03 Gy/min and a low dose-rate, 3.1 mGy/min. After 24 h, we isolated RNA from blood cells and these were hybridized to Agilent Whole Human genome microarrays. We validated the microarray results using qRT-PCR.

Results

Microarray results showed that there were 454 significantly differentially expressed genes after prolonged exposure to all doses. After acute exposure, 598 genes were differentially expressed in response to all doses. Gene ontology terms enriched in both sets of genes were related to immune processes and B-cell mediated immunity. Genes responding to acute exposure were also enriched in functions related to natural killer cell activation and cell-to-cell signaling. As expected, the p53 pathway was found to be significantly enriched at all doses and by both dose-rates of radiation. A support vectors machine classifier was able to distinguish between dose-rates with 100 % accuracy using leave-one-out cross-validation.

Conclusions

In this study we found that low dose-rate exposure can result in distinctive gene expression patterns compared with acute exposures. We were able to successfully distinguish low dose-rate exposed samples from acute dose exposed samples at 24 h, using a gene expression-based classifier. These genes are candidates for further testing as markers to classify exposure based on dose-rate.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12920-015-0097-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Transcriptional response in normal mouse tissues after i.v. (211)At administration - response related to absorbed dose, dose rate, and time

Background

In cancer radiotherapy, knowledge of normal tissue responses and toxicity risks is essential in order to deliver the highest possible absorbed dose to the tumor while maintaining normal tissue exposure at non-critical levels. However, few studies have investigated normal tissue responses in vivo after ²¹¹At administration. In order to identify molecular biomarkers of ionizing radiation exposure, we investigated genome-wide transcriptional responses to (very) low mean absorbed doses from ²¹¹At in normal mouse tissues.

Methods

Female BALB/c nude mice were intravenously injected with 1.7 kBq ²¹¹At and killed after 1 h, 6 h, or 7 days or injected with 105 or 7.5 kBq and killed after 1 and 6 h, respectively. Controls were mock-treated. Total RNA was extracted from tissue samples of kidney cortex and medulla, liver, lungs, and spleen and subjected to microarray analysis. Enriched biological processes were categorized after cellular function based on Gene Ontology terms.

Results

Responses were tissue-specific with regard to the number of significantly regulated transcripts and associated cellular function. Dose rate effects on transcript regulation were observed with both direct and inverse trends. In several tissues, Angptl4, Per1 and Per2, and Tsc22d3 showed consistent transcript regulation at all exposure conditions.

Conclusions

This study demonstrated tissue-specific transcriptional responses and distinct dose rate effects after ²¹¹At administration. Transcript regulation of individual genes, as well as cellular responses inferred from enriched transcript data, may serve as biomarkers in vivo. These findings expand the knowledge base on normal tissue responses and may help to evaluate and limit side effects of radionuclide therapy.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13550-014-0078-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Distinct microRNA expression profiles in mouse renal cortical tissue after 177Lu-octreotate administration

Aim

The aim of this study was to investigate the variation of the miRNA expression levels in normal renal cortical tissue after ¹⁷⁷Lu-octreotate administration, a radiopharmaceutical used for treatment of neuroendocrine cancers.

Methods

Female BALB/c nude mice were i.v. injected with 1.3, 3.6, 14, 45, or 140 MBq ¹⁷⁷Lu-octreotate, while control animals received saline. The animals were killed at 24 h after injection and total RNA, including miRNA, was extracted from the renal cortical tissue and hybridized to the Mouse miRNA Oligo chip 4plex to identify differentially regulated miRNAs between exposed and control samples.

Results

In total, 57 specific miRNAs were differentially regulated in the exposed renal cortical tissues with 1, 29, 21, 27, and 31 miRNAs identified per dose-level (0.13, 0.34, 1.3, 4.3, and 13 Gy, respectively). No miRNAs were commonly regulated at all dose levels. miR-194, miR-107, miR-3090, and miR-3077 were commonly regulated at 0.34, 1.3, 4.3, and 13 Gy. Strong effects on cellular mechanisms ranging from immune response to p53 signaling and cancer-related pathways were observed at the highest absorbed dose. Thirty-nine of the 57 differentially regulated miRNAs identified in the present study have previously been associated with response to ionizing radiation, indicating common radiation responsive pathways.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the ¹⁷⁷Lu-octreotate associated miRNA signatures were generally dose-specific, thereby illustrating transcriptional regulation of radiation responsive miRNAs. Taken together, these results imply the importance of miRNAs in early immunological responses in the kidneys following ¹⁷⁷Lu-octreotate administration.

Low dose irradiation profoundly affects transcriptome and microRNAme in rat mammary gland tissues

Ionizing radiation has been successfully used in medical tests and treatment therapies for a variety of medical conditions. However, patients and health-care workers are greatly concerned about overexposure to medical ionizing radiation and possible cancer induction due to frequent mammographies and/or CT scans. Diagnostic imaging involves the use of low doses of ionizing radiation, and its potential carcinogenic role creates a cancer risk concern for exposed individuals. In this study, the effects of X-ray exposure of different doses on the gene expression patterns and the micro-RNA expression patterns in normal breast tissue were investigated in rats. Our results revealed the activation of immune response pathways upon low dose of radiation exposure. These included natural killer mediated cytotoxicity pathways, antigen processing and presentation pathways, chemokine signaling pathways, and T- and B-cell receptor signaling pathways. Both high and low doses of radiation led to miRNA expression alterations. Increased expression of miR-34a may be linked to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Up-regulation of miR-34a was correlated with down-regulation of its target E2F3 and up-regulation of p53. This data suggests that ionizing radiation at specific high and low doses leads to cell cycle arrest and a possible initiation of apoptosis.

Gene expression response of mice after a single dose of 137CS as an internal emitter

Cesium-137 is a radionuclide of concern in fallout from reactor accidents or nuclear detonations. When ingested or inhaled, it can expose the entire body for an extended period of time, potentially contributing to serious health consequences ranging from acute radiation syndrome to increased cancer risks. To identify changes in gene expression that may be informative for detecting such exposure, and to begin examining the molecular responses involved, we have profiled global gene expression in blood of male C57BL/6 mice injected with 137CsCl. We extracted RNA from the blood of control or 137CsCl-injected mice at 2, 3, 5, 20 or 30 days after exposure. Gene expression was measured using Agilent Whole Mouse Genome Microarrays, and the data was analyzed using BRB-ArrayTools. Between 466-6,213 genes were differentially expressed, depending on the time after 137Cs administration. At early times (2-3 days), the majority of responsive genes were expressed above control levels, while at later times (20-30 days) most responding genes were expressed below control levels. Numerous genes were overexpressed by day 2 or 3, and then underexpressed by day 20 or 30, including many Tp53-regulated genes. The same pattern was seen among significantly enriched gene ontology categories, including those related to nucleotide binding, protein localization and modification, actin and the cytoskeleton, and in the integrin signaling canonical pathway. We compared the expression of several genes three days after 137CsCl injection and three days after an acute external gamma-ray exposure, and found that the internal exposure appeared to produce a more sustained response. Many common radiation-responsive genes are altered by internally administered 137Cs, but the gene expression pattern resulting from continued irradiation at a decreasing dose rate is extremely complex, and appears to involve a late reversal of much of the initial response.

Time- and dose rate-related effects of internal (177)Lu exposure on gene expression in mouse kidney tissue

INTRODUCTION

The kidneys are the dose-limiting organs in some radionuclide therapy regimens. However, the biological impact of internal exposure from radionuclides is still not fully understood. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of dose rate and time after i.v. injection of (177)LuCl3 on changes in transcriptional patterns in mouse kidney tissue.

METHODS

To investigate the effect of dose rate, female Balb/c nude mice were i.v. injected with 11, 5.6, 1.6, 0.8, 0.30, and 0 MBq of (177)LuCl3, and killed at 3, 6, 24, 48, 168, and 24 hours after injection, respectively. Furthermore, the effect of time after onset of exposure was analysed using mice injected with 0.26, 2.4, and 8.2 MBq of (177)LuCl3, and killed at 45, 90, and 140 days after injection. Global transcription patterns of irradiated kidney cortex and medulla were assessed and enriched biological processes were determined from the regulated gene sets using Gene Ontology terms.

RESULTS

The average dose rates investigated were 1.6, 0.84, 0.23, 0.11 and 0.028 mGy/min, with an absorbed dose of 0.3 Gy. At 45, 90 and 140 days, the absorbed doses were estimated to 0.3, 3, and 10 Gy. In general, the number of differentially regulated transcripts increased with time after injection, and decreased with absorbed dose for both kidney cortex and medulla. Differentially regulated transcripts were predominantly involved in metabolic and stress response-related processes dependent on dose rate, as well as transcripts associated with metabolic and cellular integrity at later time points.

CONCLUSION

The observed transcriptional response in kidney tissue was diverse due to difference in absorbed dose, dose rate and time after exposure. Nevertheless, several transcripts were significantly regulated in all groups despite differences in exposure parameters, which may indicate potential biomarkers for exposure of kidney tissue.

Transcriptional response of kidney tissue after 177Lu-octreotate administration in mice

INTRODUCTION

The kidneys are one of the main dose limiting organs in (177)Lu-octreotate therapy of neuroendocrine tumors. Therefore, biomarkers for radiation damage would be of great importance in this type of therapy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the absorbed dose dependency on early transcriptional changes in the kidneys from (177)Lu-octreotate exposure.

METHODS

Female Balb/c nude mice were i.v. injected with 1.3, 3.6, 14, 45 or 140 MBq (177)Lu-octreotate. The animals were killed 24 h after injection followed by excision of the kidneys. The absorbed dose to the kidneys ranged between 0.13 and 13 Gy. Total RNA was extracted from separated renal tissue samples, and applied to Illumina MouseRef-8 Whole-Genome Expression Beadchips to identify regulated transcripts after irradiation. Nexus Expression 2.0 and Gene Ontology terms were used for data processing and to determine affected biological processes.

RESULTS

Distinct transcriptional responses were observed following (177)Lu-octreotate administration. A higher number of differentially expressed transcripts were observed in the kidney medulla (480) compared to cortex (281). In addition, 39 transcripts were regulated at all absorbed dose levels in the medulla, compared to 32 in the cortex. Three biological processes in the cortex and five in the medulla were also shared by all absorbed dose levels. Strong association to metabolism was found among the affected processes in both tissues. Furthermore, an association with cellular and developmental processes was prominent in kidney medulla, while transport and immune response were prominent in kidney cortex.

CONCLUSION

Specific biological and dose-dependent responses were observed in both tissues. The number of affected transcripts and biological processes revealed distinct response differences between the absorbed doses delivered to the tissues.

Transcriptional response of BALB/c mouse thyroids following in vivo astatine-211 exposure reveals distinct gene expression profiles

Background

Astatine-211 (²¹¹At) is an alpha particle emitting halogen with almost optimal linear energy transfer for creating DNA double-strand breaks and is thus proposed for radionuclide therapy when bound to tumor-seeking agents. Unbound ²¹¹At accumulates in the thyroid gland, and the concept of basal radiation-induced biological effects in the thyroid tissue is, to a high degree, unknown and is most valuable.

Methods

Female BALB/c nude mice were intravenously injected with 0.064 to 42 kBq of ²¹¹At, resulting in absorbed doses of 0.05 to 32 Gy in the thyroid gland. Thyroids were removed 24 h after injection; total RNA was extracted from pooled thyroids and processed in triplicate using Illumina MouseRef-8 Whole-Genome Expression Beadchips.

Results

Thyroids exposed to ²¹¹At revealed distinctive gene expression profiles compared to non-irradiated controls. A larger number of genes were affected at low absorbed doses (0.05 and 0.5 Gy) compared to intermediate (1.4 Gy) and higher absorbed doses (11 and 32 Gy). The proportion of dose-specific genes increased with decreased absorbed dose. Additionally, 1.4 Gy often exerted opposite regulation on gene expression compared to the other absorbed doses. Using Gene Ontology data, an immunological effect was detected at 0.05 and 11 Gy. Effects on cellular response to external stress and cell cycle regulation and proliferation were detected at 1.4 and 11 Gy.

Conclusions

Conclusively, the cellular response to ionizing radiation is complex and differs with absorbed dose. The response acquired at high absorbed doses cannot be extrapolated down to low absorbed doses or vice versa. We also demonstrated that the thyroid - already at absorbed doses similar to those obtained in radionuclide therapy - responds with expression of a high number of genes. Due to the increased heterogeneous irradiation at low absorbed doses, we suggest that this response partly originates from non-irradiated cells in the tissue, i.e., bystander cells.