The Delayed Manifestation of T-Cell Receptor (TCR) Variants in X-Irradiated Mice Depends onTrp53Status

STUDY OF BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF TRITIUM IN MICE

The mutation, apoptosis and chromosomal aberration induced by tritiated water (HTO) in spleen T lymphocytes of mice were investigated and compared with those by acute or chronic 137Cs gamma irradiation. p53 wild-type (p53+/+) and null (p53-/-) mice were exposed to tritium (3H) beta rays via a single injection of HTO. 137Cs gamma irradiation was carried out at dose-rate of 0.86Gy min-1 (acute) and at a low dose-rate (0.71-0.09 mGy min-1) that mimicked internal exposure (gamma simulation-irradiation). Each dose of irradiation was 3Gy. When compared on the basis of the induced TCR variant fractions in p53-/- mice at 3Gy, 3H beta rays appeared to be more mutagenic than chronic gamma ray reference. On the other hand, both of the frequency chromosomal aberration was not different significantly between HTO injected and 137Cs gamma irradiated mice.

Role of p53 in Regulating Radiation Responses

p53 is known as the guardian of the genome and plays various roles in DNA damage and cancer suppression. The p53 gene was found to express multiple p53 splice variants (isoforms) in a physiological, tissue-dependent manner. The various genes that up- and down-regulated p53 are involved in cell viability, senescence, inflammation, and carcinogenesis. Moreover, p53 affects the radioadaptive response. Given that several studies have already been published on p53, this review presents its role in the response to gamma irradiation by interacting with MDM2, NF-κB, and miRNA, as well as in the inflammation processes, senescence, carcinogenesis, and radiation adaptive responses. Finally, the potential of p53 as a biomarker is discussed.

Estimation of Biological Effects of Tritium

Nuclear fusion technology is expected to create new energy in the future. However, nuclear fusion requires a large amount of tritium as a fuel, leading to concern about the exposure of radiation workers to tritium beta radiation. Furthermore, countermeasures for tritium-polluted water produced in decommissioning of the reactor at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station may potentially cause health problems in radiation workers. Although, internal exposure to tritium at a low dose/low dose rate can be assumed, biological effect of tritium exposure is not negligible, because tritiated water (HTO) intake to the body via the mouth/inhalation/skin would lead to homogeneous distribution throughout the whole body. Furthermore, organically-bound tritium (OBT) stays in the body as parts of the molecules that comprise living organisms resulting in long-term exposure, and the chemical form of tritium should be considered. To evaluate the biological effect of tritium, the effect should be compared with that of other radiation types. Many studies have examined the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of tritium. Hence, we report the RBE, which was obtained with radiation carcinogenesis classified as a stochastic effect, and serves as a reference for cancer risk. We also introduce the outline of the tritium experiment and the principle of a recently developed animal experimental system using transgenic mouse to detect the biological influence of radiation exposure at a low dose/low dose rate.

Flow cytometric quantification of mutant T cells with altered expression of the T-cell receptor: detecting somatic mutants in humans and mice

Spontaneously generated mutant T cells defective in T-cell receptor (TCR) gene expression are detectable at the frequency of 2×10(-4) in vivo, and the mutant fractions are dose dependently increased by exposure to genotoxic agents such as ionizing radiation. Mutant cells with altered expression of TCRα or -β among CD4(+) T cells can be detected as CD3(-)/CD4(+) cells by two-color flow cytometry using anti-CD3 and anti-CD4 monoclonal antibodies labeled with different fluorescent dyes, because incomplete TCRαβ/CD3 complexes cannot be transported to the cellular membrane. This flow cytometric mutation assay can be applied to CD4(+) T cells from human peripheral blood and mouse spleen. Methods for both preparation of target cells and detection of the mutant cells are described.

p53-dependent delayed effects of radiation vary according to time of irradiation of p53 + / - mice

We previously reported that in p53 (+ / -) mice that had been given a whole-body dose of 3 Gy at 8 weeks of age, p53-dependent delayed effects of radiation, as manifested in T-cell receptor (TCR) variant fractions (VF) instability in mouse splenocytes, were biphasic, namely, induction of TCR-VF mutation reappeared at 44 weeks. The manifestation of the delayed effects and the measures of biological markers varied according to the timing of irradiation. We also reported that the decrease in function of the p53 gene was related to the effects of a delayed mutation. In the present study, we investigated the functions and mutations of the p53 gene in old age for p53 (+ / -) mice following irradiation at various ages. p53 (+ / -) mice were given a whole-body dose of 3 Gy at 8, 28 or 40 weeks of age. There were significant differences for all variables tested at 8 weeks of age. This was similarly the case for mice irradiated at 28 weeks of age, in which there were also significant differences in TCR VF and the percentage of apoptosis. In mice irradiated at 40 weeks of age, there were significant differences for all considered variables except for the p53 allele. We demonstrated that the different patterns of delayed mutation of the p53 gene at 56 weeks of age depended on the age at which mice had undergone 3-Gy whole-body irradiation. Our conclusions are limited to variation in p53-dependent delayed effects according to the time of irradiation.

The in vivo Pig-a gene mutation assay is useful for evaluating the genotoxicity of ionizing radiation in mice

The in vivo Pig-a mutation assay has been adapted for measuring mutation in rats, mice, monkeys, and humans. To date, the assay has been used mainly to assess the mutagenicity of chemicals that are known to be powerful point mutagens. The assay has not been used to measure the biological effects associated with ionizing radiation. In this study, we modified the Pig-a gene mutation assay (Kimoto et al. [2011b]: Mutat Res 723:36-42) and used 3-color staining with fluorescently labeled anti-CD24, anti-TER-119, and anti-CD71 to detect the Pig-a mutant frequencies in total red blood cells (RBCs) and in reticulocytes (RETs) from X-irradiated mice. Single exposures to X-irradiation resulted in dose- and time-dependent increases in Pig-a mutant frequencies, and these subsequently declined over time returning to background frequencies. The same total amount of radiation, delivered either as a single dose or as four repeat doses at weekly intervals, increased Pig-a mutant frequencies to comparable levels, reaching maxima 2-3 weeks after the single dose or 2-3 weeks after the last of the repeat doses. These increased frequencies subsequently returned to background levels. Our results indicated that the 3-color Pig-a assay was useful for evaluating the in vivo genotoxicity of radiation.

A comparison of the mutagenic and apoptotic effects of tritiated water and acute or chronic caesium-137 gamma exposure on spleen T lymphocytes on normal and p53-deficient mice

PURPOSE

This study was carried out to compare the mutagenic effects on spleen T lymphocytes of mice exposed to tritiated water (HTO) and chronic or acute (137)Cs gamma irradiation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

p53 wild type (p53(+/+)) and p53 null type (p53(-/-)) mice were exposed to a total dose of 3 Gy of HTO, chronic (137)Cs and acute (137)Cs.

RESULTS

In spontaneous T-cell receptor (TCR) variant fractions and fractions following exposure to HTO, chronic (137)Cs and acute (137)Cs, TCR variant fractions in p53(+/+) mice were 5.9 x 10(-4), 9.8 x 10(-4), 6.4 x 10(-4) and 20.1 x 10(-4), respectively. In contrast, those fractions were increased in p53(-/-) mice to 11.2 x 10(-4), 18.8 x 10(-4), 15.7 x 10(-4) and 31.3 x 10(-4), respectively. The frequency of apoptotic cells of the spleen 12 h after HTO injection increased to 5.0% in p53(+/+) mice, but did not increase at all in p53(-/-) mice.

CONCLUSIONS

When compared on the basis of induced TCR variant fractions in p53(-/-) mice, HTO (7.6 x 10(-4)) was 1.7 times more mutagenic than chronic (137)Cs (4.5 x 10(-4)), but 2.6 times less mutagenic than acute (137)Cs gamma irradiation (20.1 x 10(-4)).

Measurement of mutant frequency in T-cell receptor (TCR) gene by flow cytometry after X-irradiation on EL-4 mice lymphoma cells

It is well known that somatic mutations are induced by ionizing irradiation. We have previously reported the measurement of mutant frequency (MF) on the T-cell receptor (TCR) gene in mouse T-lymphocytes after irradiation by flow cytometry. In this study, we developed an in vitro system using murine EL-4 lymphoma cells and observed frequency of cells defective in TCR gene expression after exposure to ionizing irradiation. EL-4 cells were stained with fluorescein-labeled anti-CD4 and phycoerythrin-labeled anti-CD3 antibodies. They were analyzed with a flow cytometer to detect mutant EL-4 cells lacking surface expression of TCR/CD3 complexes which showed CD3-, CD4+ due to a somatic mutation at the TCR genes. Mutant cells could be observed at 2 days after 3 Gy irradiation. MF of EL-4 cells was 6.7x10(-4) for 0 Gy and the value increased to the maximum level of 39x10(-4) between 4 and 8 days after 3 Gy irradiation and these data were found to be best fitted by a linear-quadratic dose-response model. After the peak value the TCR MF gradually decreased with a half-life of approximately 3.2 days. We also examined the hprt mutant frequencies at seven days after irradiation and the cytokinesis-blocked micronucleus frequency at 20 hrs after irradiation. The frequencies of hprt mutation and micronuclei were found to be best fitted by a linear-quadratic dose-response model and a linear dose-response model, respectively. The method to detect mutation on TCR gene is quick and easy in comparison with other methods and is considered useful for the mutagenicity test.

TP53 and TP53-Related Genes Associated with Protection from Apoptosis in the Radioadaptive Response

We investigated the effect of administering priming low-dose radiation prior to high-dose radiation on the level of apoptosis and on the expression of TP53 and TP53-related genes in mouse splenocytes. The percentage of apoptotic cells was significantly lower in TP53(+/+) mice receiving priming radiation 2 to 168 h before the high-dose irradiation, compared to TP53(+/+) mice exposed to 2 Gy alone. In contrast, TP53(+/-) mice exhibited a reduced level of apoptosis only when priming was performed for 2 or 4 h prior to the high-dose irradiation. In TP53(+/+) mice, primed mice had higher TP53 expression than mice exposed to 2 Gy. Phospho-TP53 (ser15/18) expression was the highest in mice exposed to 2 Gy and intermediate in primed mice. Expression of p21 (CDKN1A) was higher in primed mice compared with mice exposed to 2 Gy. MDM2 expression remained at a high level in all mice receiving 2 Gy. Elevated phospho-ATM expression was observed only in mice exposed to 2 Gy. We conclude that TP53 plays a critical role in the radioadaptive response and that TP53 and TP53-related genes might protect cells from apoptosis through activation of the intracellular repair system.