Involvement of energy metabolism in the production of 'bystander effects' by radiation

Bystander effect of ultraviolet A radiation protects A375 melanoma cells by induction of antioxidant defense

Ultraviolet (UV) irradiated cells release factors that result in varied responses by non-irradiated cells via bystander effects (BE). The UV-BE is dependent on the cell types involved and on the wavelength of the radiation. Using conditioned medium from UVA-irradiated A375 human melanoma cells (UVA-CM), UVA-bystander response was evaluated on the viability of naïve A375 cells. UVA-CM treatment itself did not alter cell viability; however, UVA-CM treated bystander cells were more resistant to the lethal action of UVA, UVB, UVC or H₂O₂. Effects of UVA-CM on cell proliferation, mechanism of cell death, DNA damage, malondialdehyde formation, generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant status were studied in A375 cells. We observed that UVA-CM triggered antioxidant defenses to elicit protective responses through elevation of antioxidant enzyme activities in cells, which persisted until 5 h after exposure to UVA-CM. This was possibly responsible for decreased generation of ROS and diminished DNA and membrane damage in cells. These bystander cells were resistant to killing when exposed to different genotoxic agents. Damaged nuclei, induction of apoptosis and autophagic death were also lowered in these cells. The influence of UVA-CM on cancer stem cells side population was assessed.Highlights:UVA radiation induced bystander effects in A375 cellsDamage by genotoxicants is suppressed due to lower ROS generation on UVA-CM treatmentUVA-CM exposure enhanced higher activities of CAT and GPxResistance to genotoxic agents in such cells was due to elevated antioxidant defenceUVA-bystander phenomenon was a protective response.

Radiobiological and social considerations following a radiological terrorist attack; mechanisms, detection and mitigation: review of new research developments

PURPOSE

This review focuses on recent research in understanding the different aspects of what society should expect from a radiological attack. Although some scenarios of a radiologic event can be impossible to be prepared for, the effort put toward educating and better preparing for these types of events can help minimize some of the issues. The different areas discussed in this review include radioisotopes of concern, detection of radiation dose, biological effects of ionizing radiation exposures, low dose effects, targeted and non-targeted effects (NTE), psychological effects, mitigations, with a brief mention of other considerations such as medical preparedness, communication, policy implications and ethical issues. This review also discusses solutions to rectify the issues faced at hand that may come up in the event of a radiologic terrorist attack.

CONCLUSIONS

A review of recent work in the area shows that a multi-layered and interdisciplinary approach is needed to prepare for a radiological terrorist attack. As well as medical preparedness, the approach needs to include sociological and psychological planning as well as an understanding of ethical issues. Since the likely 'dirty bomb' scenarios may involve low dose exposures to high numbers of people, a much better theoretical and practical understanding of low dose radiobiology and the development of robust low dose exposure biomarkers is needed as part of an integrated plan.

Low dose ionizing radiation and the immune response: what is the role of non-targeted effects?

OBJECTIVES

This review aims to trace the historical narrative surrounding the low dose effects of radiation on the immune system and how our understanding has changed from the beginning of the 20th century to now. The particular focus is on the non-targeted effects (NTEs) of low dose ionizing radiation (LDIR) which are effects that occur when irradiated cells emit signals that cause effects in the nearby or distant non-irradiated cells known as radiation induced bystander effect (RIBE). Moreover, radiation induced genomic instability (RIGI) and abscopal effect (AE) also regarded as NTE. This was prompted by our recent discovery that ultraviolet A (UVA) photons are emitted by the irradiated cells and that these photons can trigger NTE such as the RIBE in unirradiated recipients of these photons. Given the well-known association between UV radiation and the immune response, where these biophotons may pose as bystander signals potentiating processes in deep tissues as a consequence of LDIR, it is timely to review the field with a fresh lens. Various pathways and immune components that contribute to the beneficial and adverse types of modulation induced by LDR will also be revisited.

CONCLUSION

There is limited evidence for LDIR induced immune effects by way of a non-targeted mechanism in biological tissue. The literature examining low to medium dose effects of ionizing radiation on the immune system and its components is complex and controversial. Early work was compromised by lack of good dosimetry while later work mainly looks at the involvement of immune response in radiotherapy. There is a lack of research in the LDIR/NTE field focusing on immune response although bone marrow stem cells and lineages were critical in the identification and characterization of NTE where effects like RIGI and RIBE were heavily researched. This may be in part, a result of the difficulty of isolating NTE in whole organisms which are essential for good immune response studies. Models involving inter organism transmission of NTE are a promising route to overcome these issues.

Targeted and Non-Targeted Mechanisms for Killing Hypoxic Tumour Cells-Are There New Avenues for Treatment?

Purpose: A major issue in radiotherapy is the relative resistance of hypoxic cells to radiation. Historic approaches to this problem include the use of oxygen mimetic compounds to sensitize tumour cells, which were unsuccessful. This review looks at modern approaches aimed at increasing the efficacy of targeting and radiosensitizing hypoxic tumour microenvironments relative to normal tissues and asks the question of whether non-targeted effects in radiobiology may provide a new “target”. Novel techniques involve the integration of recent technological advancements such as nanotechnology, cell manipulation, and medical imaging. Particularly, the major areas of research discussed in this review include tumour hypoxia imaging through PET imaging to guide carbogen breathing, gold nanoparticles, macrophage-mediated drug delivery systems used for hypoxia-activate prodrugs, and autophagy inhibitors. Furthermore, this review outlines several features of these methods, including the mechanisms of action to induce radiosensitization, the increased accuracy in targeting hypoxic tumour microenvironments relative to normal tissue, preclinical/clinical trials, and future considerations. Conclusions: This review suggests that the four novel tumour hypoxia therapeutics demonstrate compelling evidence that these techniques can serve as powerful tools to increase targeting efficacy and radiosensitizing hypoxic tumour microenvironments relative to normal tissue. Each technique uses a different way to manipulate the therapeutic ratio, which we have labelled “oxygenate, target, use, and digest”. In addition, by focusing on emerging non-targeted and out-of-field effects, new umbrella targets are identified, which instead of sensitizing hypoxic cells, seek to reduce the radiosensitivity of normal tissues.

Non-autonomous consequences of cell death and other perks of being metazoan

Drosophila melanogaster remains a foremost genetic model to study basic cell biological processes in the context of multi-cellular development. In such context, the behavior of one cell can influence another. Non-autonomous signaling among cells occurs throughout metazoan development and disease, and is too vast to be covered by a single review. I will focus here on non-autonomous signaling events that occur in response to cell death in the larval epithelia and affect the life-death decision of surviving cells. I will summarize the use of Drosophila to study cell death-induced proliferation, apoptosis-induced apoptosis, and apoptosis-induced survival signaling. Key insights from Drosophila will be discussed in the context of analogous processes in mammalian development and cancer biology.

Non-autonomous consequences of cell death and other perks of being metazoan

Drosophila melanogaster remains a foremost genetic model to study basic cell biological processes in the context of multi-cellular development. In such context, the behavior of one cell can influence another. Non-autonomous signaling among cells occurs throughout metazoan development and disease, and is too vast to be covered by a single review. I will focus here on non-autonomous signaling events that occur in response to cell death in the larval epithelia and affect the life-death decision of surviving cells. I will summarize the use of Drosophila to study cell death-induced proliferation, apoptosis-induced apoptosis, and apoptosis-induced survival signaling. Key insights from Drosophila will be discussed in the context of analogous processes in mammalian development and cancer biology.

Bystander Effect Induced in Breast Cancer (MCF-7) and Human Osteoblast Cell Lines (hFOB 1.19) with HDR-Brachytherapy

Background:

Radiation induced bystander effects (RIBEs) occurs in unirradiated cells exhibiting indirect biological effect as a consequence of signals from other irradiated cells in the population.

Objective:

In this study, bystander effects in MCF-7 breast cancer cells and hFOB 1.19 normal osteoblast cells irradiated with gamma emitting HDR Brachytherapy Ir-192 source were investigated.

Material and Methods:

In this in-vitro study, bystander effect stimulation was conducted using medium transfer technique of irradiated cells to the non-irradiated bystander cells. Cell viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and colony forming assay was employed to evaluate the effect.

Results:

Results indicate that the exposure to the medium irradiated MCF-7 induced significant bystander killing and decreased the survival fraction of bystander MCF-7 and hFOB from 1.19 to 81.70 % and 65.44 %, respectively. A significant decrease in survival fraction was observed for hFOB 1.19 bystander cells (p < 0.05). We found that the rate of hFOB 1.19 cell growth significantly decreases to 85.5% when added with media from irradiated cells. The ROS levels of bystander cells for both cell lines were observed to have an increase even after 4 h of treatment. Our results suggest the presence of bystander effects in unirradiated cells exposed to the irradiated medium.

Conclusion:

These data provide evidence that irradiated MCF-7 breast cancer cells can induce bystander death in unirradiated MCF-7 and hFOB 1.19 bystander cells. Increase in cell death could also be mediated by the ROS generation during the irradiation with HDR brachytherapy.

Relevance of Non-Targeted Effects for Radiotherapy and Diagnostic Radiology; A Historical and Conceptual Analysis of Key Players

Non-targeted effects (NTE) such as bystander effects or genomic instability have been known for many years but their significance for radiotherapy or medical diagnostic radiology are far from clear. Central to the issue are reported differences in the response of normal and tumour tissues to signals from directly irradiated cells. This review will discuss possible mechanisms and implications of these different responses and will then discuss possible new therapeutic avenues suggested by the analysis. Finally, the importance of NTE for diagnostic radiology and nuclear medicine which stems from the dominance of NTE in the low-dose region of the dose–response curve will be presented. Areas such as second cancer induction and microenvironment plasticity will be discussed.

Surgical wound fluids from patients treated with intraoperative radiotherapy induce radiobiological response in breast cancer cells

Breast cancer is the most common cancer occurring in women. The standard of breast cancer treatment is based on breast-conserving surgery with administration of adjuvant whole breast radiotherapy. Research shows that in-breast relapse is most likely to occur in the tumour bed, i.e. around the scar. Intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT), in which radiation is delivered to the tumour bed, reduces the risk of local recurrence not only through direct cell killing, but also through modification of local microenvironment. Additionally IORT modifies the composition and biological activity of surgical wound fluid. Since many researchers show that radiation damage is mediated through factors secreted to the environment by irradiated cells, we hypothesized that this radiation-induced bystander effect is partly responsible for the change observed in surgical wound fluids. We collected conditioned medium from irradiated breast cancer cells (CM) and surgical wound fluids from patients who underwent IORT (RT-WF) and from patients after breast-conserving surgery alone (WF). We incubated two breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-468) with WF, RT-WF, CM or WF + CM and measured radiobiological response of cells. We measured the level of double-strand breaks, induction of apoptosis and the changes in expression of genes related to DNA damage repair. We observed that stimulation with RT-WF and with WF + CM-induced double-strand breaks and increased expression of DNA damage repair-related genes, which was not observed after stimulation with WF. These results suggest that IOERT induces secretion of bystander factors mediating the genotoxic effect of ionizing radiation.

Intercellular communications-redox interactions in radiation toxicity; potential targets for radiation mitigation

Nowadays, using ionizing radiation (IR) is necessary for clinical, agricultural, nuclear energy or industrial applications. Accidental exposure to IR after a radiation terror or disaster poses a threat to human. In contrast to the old dogma of radiation toxicity, several experiments during the last two recent decades have revealed that intercellular signaling and communications play a key role in this procedure. Elevated level of cytokines and other intercellular signals increase oxidative damage and inflammatory responses via reduction/oxidation interactions (redox system). Intercellular signals induce production of free radicals and inflammatory mediators by some intermediate enzymes such as cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), nitric oxide synthase (NOS), NADPH oxidase, and also via triggering mitochondrial ROS. Furthermore, these signals facilitate cell to cell contact and increasing cell toxicity via cohort effect. Nitric oxide is a free radical with ability to act as an intercellular signal that induce DNA damage and changes in some signaling pathways in irradiated as well as non-irradiated adjacent cells. Targeting of these mediators by some anti-inflammatory agents or via antioxidants such as mitochondrial ROS scavengers opens a window to mitigate radiation toxicity after an accidental exposure. Experiments which have been done so far suggests that some cytokines such as IL-1β, TNF-α, TGF-β, IL-4 and IL-13 are some interesting targets that depend on irradiated organs and may help mitigate radiation toxicity. Moreover, animal experiments in recent years indicated that targeting of toll like receptors (TLRs) may be more useful for radioprotection and mitigation. In this review, we aimed to describe the role of intercellular interactions in oxidative injury, inflammation, cell death and killing effects of IR. Moreover, we described evidence on potential mitigation of radiation injury via targeting of these mediators.

Integrated Modelling of Cell Responses after Irradiation for DNA-Targeted Effects and Non-Targeted Effects

Intercellular communication after ionizing radiation exposure, so-called non-targeted effects (NTEs), reduces cell survival. Here we describe an integrated cell-killing model considering NTEs and DNA damage along radiation particle tracks, known as DNA-targeted effects (TEs) based on repair kinetics of DNA damage. The proposed model was applied to a series of experimental data, i.e., signal concentration, DNA damage kinetics, cell survival curve and medium transfer bystander effects (MTBEs). To reproduce the experimental data, the model considers the following assumptions: (i) the linear-quadratic (LQ) function as absorbed dose to express the hit probability to emit cell-killing signals, (ii) the potentially repair of DNA lesions induced by NTEs, and (iii) lower efficiency of repair for the damage in NTEs than that in TEs. By comparing the model results with experimental data, we found that signal-induced DNA damage and lower repair efficiency in non-hit cells are responsible for NTE-related repair kinetics of DNA damage, cell survival curve with low-dose hyper-radiosensitivity (HRS) and MTBEs. From the standpoint of modelling, the integrated cell-killing model with the LQ relation and a different repair function for NTEs provide a reasonable signal-emission probability and a new estimation of low-dose HRS linked to DNA repair efficiency.

Bystander signaling via oxidative metabolism

The radiation-induced bystander effect (RIBE) is the initiation of biological end points in cells (bystander cells) that are not directly traversed by an incident-radiation track, but are in close proximity to cells that are receiving the radiation. RIBE has been indicted of causing DNA damage via oxidative stress, besides causing direct damage, inducing tumorigenesis, producing micronuclei, and causing apoptosis. RIBE is regulated by signaling proteins that are either endogenous or secreted by cells as a means of communication between cells, and can activate intracellular or intercellular oxidative metabolism that can further trigger signaling pathways of inflammation. Bystander signals can pass through gap junctions in attached cell lines, while the suspended cell lines transmit these signals via hormones and soluble proteins. This review provides the background information on how reactive oxygen species (ROS) act as bystander signals. Although ROS have a very short half-life and have a nanometer-scale sphere of influence, the wide variety of ROS produced via various sources can exert a cumulative effect, not only in forming DNA adducts but also setting up signaling pathways of inflammation, apoptosis, cell-cycle arrest, aging, and even tumorigenesis. This review outlines the sources of the bystander effect linked to ROS in a cell, and provides methods of investigation for researchers who would like to pursue this field of science.

Classical radiation biology dogma, bystander effects and paradigm shifts

A classical dogma of radiation biology asserts that all effects of radiation on cells are due to it's direct, immediate actions. But evidence accumulated over the last 50 years shows that radiation also has, indirect ‘non-target’ actions including ‘bystander’ effects in which effects of radiation on cells or media are transported to cells or tissues that were not ‘hit’ by the radiation, leading to changes in their function. This important but heretical recognition of radiation actions has been referred to, probably incorrectly, as a ‘paradigm shift.’ What these signals are and how they induce changes is not well understood. Also not clear is how, or if, bystander effects might affect risk estimates for exposure to low doses of radiation. These issues are reviewed and explored in this series of papers.

Energy metabolism in a matched model of radiation resistance for head and neck squamous cell cancer

While radiation therapy is commonly used for treating cancer, radiation resistance can limit long-term control of the disease. In this study, we investigated the reprogramming of the energy metabolism in radiosensitive and radioresistant head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) using a preclinical matched model of radiation resistance. Our investigation found that radioresistant rSCC-61 cells: 1. They display increased glucose uptake and decreased fatty acid uptake; 2. They deviate from the classical Warburg effect by diverting the glycolytic flux into the pentose phosphate pathway; 3. They are more dependent on glucose than glutamine metabolism to support growth; 4. They have decreased mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation; 5. They have enhanced fatty acid biosynthesis by increasing the expression of fatty acid synthase; and 6. They utilize endogenous fatty acids to meet the energy demands for proliferation. Inhibition of fatty acid synthase with orlistat or FASN siRNA resulted in increased cytotoxicity and sensitivity to radiation in rSCC-61 cells. These results demonstrate the potential of combination therapy using radiation and orlistat or other inhibitors of lipid and energy metabolism for treating radiation resistance in HNSCC.

The Role of Translational Regulation in Survival after Radiation Damage; an Opportunity for Proteomics Analysis

In this review, we will summarize the data from different model systems that illustrate the need for proteome-wide analyses of the biological consequences of ionizing radiation (IR). IR remains one of three main therapy choices for oncology, the others being surgery and chemotherapy. Understanding how cells and tissues respond to IR is essential for improving therapeutic regimes against cancer. Numerous studies demonstrating the changes in the transcriptome following exposure to IR, in diverse systems, can be found in the scientific literature. However, the limitation of our knowledge is illustrated by the fact that the number of transcripts that change after IR exposure is approximately an order of magnitude lower than the number of transcripts that re-localize to or from ribosomes under similar conditions. Furthermore, changes in the post-translational modifications of proteins (phosphorylation, acetylation as well as degradation) are profoundly important for the cellular response to IR. These considerations make proteomics a highly suitable tool for mechanistic studies of the effect of IR. Strikingly such studies remain outnumbered by those utilizing proteomics for diagnostic purposes such as the identification of biomarkers for the outcome of radiation therapy. Here we will discuss the role of the ribosome and translational regulation in the survival and preservation of cells and tissues after exposure to ionizing radiation. In doing so we hope to provide a strong incentive for the study of proteome-wide changes following IR exposure.

Dying cells protect survivors from radiation-induced cell death in Drosophila

We report a phenomenon wherein induction of cell death by a variety of means in wing imaginal discs of Drosophila larvae resulted in the activation of an anti-apoptotic microRNA, bantam. Cells in the vicinity of dying cells also become harder to kill by ionizing radiation (IR)-induced apoptosis. Both ban activation and increased protection from IR required receptor tyrosine kinase Tie, which we identified in a genetic screen for modifiers of ban. tie mutants were hypersensitive to radiation, and radiation sensitivity of tie mutants was rescued by increased ban gene dosage. We propose that dying cells activate ban in surviving cells through Tie to make the latter cells harder to kill, thereby preserving tissues and ensuring organism survival. The protective effect we report differs from classical radiation bystander effect in which neighbors of irradiated cells become more prone to death. The protective effect also differs from the previously described effect of dying cells that results in proliferation of nearby cells in Drosophila larval discs. If conserved in mammals, a phenomenon in which dying cells make the rest harder to kill by IR could have implications for treatments that involve the sequential use of cytotoxic agents and radiation therapy.

In multicellular organisms where cells exist in the context of other cells, the behavior of one affects the others. The consequences of such interactions include not just cell fate choices but also life and death decisions. In the wing primordia of Drosophila melanogaster larvae, dying cells release mitogenic signals that stimulate the neighbors to proliferate. Such an effect is proposed to compensate for cell loss and help regenerate the tissue. We report here that, in the same experimental system, dying cells activate a pro-survival microRNA, bantam, in surviving cells. This results in increased protection from the killing effect of ionizing radiation (IR). Activation of ban requires tie, which encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase. tie and ban mutant larvae are hypersensitive to killing by IR, suggesting that the responses described here are important for organismal survival following radiation exposure.

Health risks of space exploration: targeted and nontargeted oxidative injury by high-charge and high-energy particles

SIGNIFICANCE

During deep space travel, astronauts are often exposed to high atomic number (Z) and high-energy (E) (high charge and high energy [HZE]) particles. On interaction with cells, these particles cause severe oxidative injury and result in unique biological responses. When cell populations are exposed to low fluences of HZE particles, a significant fraction of the cells are not traversed by a primary radiation track, and yet, oxidative stress induced in the targeted cells may spread to nearby bystander cells. The long-term effects are more complex because the oxidative effects persist in progeny of the targeted and affected bystander cells, which promote genomic instability and may increase the risk of age-related cancer and degenerative diseases.

RECENT ADVANCES

Greater understanding of the spatial and temporal features of reactive oxygen species bursts along the tracks of HZE particles, and the availability of facilities that can simulate exposure to space radiations have supported the characterization of oxidative stress from targeted and nontargeted effects.

CRITICAL ISSUES

The significance of secondary radiations generated from the interaction of the primary HZE particles with biological material and the mitigating effects of antioxidants on various cellular injuries are central to understanding nontargeted effects and alleviating tissue injury.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

Elucidation of the mechanisms underlying the cellular responses to HZE particles, particularly under reduced gravity and situations of exposure to additional radiations, such as protons, should be useful in reducing the uncertainty associated with current models for predicting long-term health risks of space radiation. These studies are also relevant to hadron therapy of cancer.

Gap junction communication and the propagation of bystander effects induced by microbeam irradiation in human fibroblast cultures: the impact of radiation quality

Understanding the mechanisms underlying the bystander effects of low doses/low fluences of low- or high-linear energy transfer (LET) radiation is relevant to radiotherapy and radiation protection. Here, we investigated the role of gap-junction intercellular communication (GJIC) in the propagation of stressful effects in confluent normal human fibroblast cultures wherein only 0.036-0.144% of cells in the population were traversed by primary radiation tracks. Confluent cells were exposed to graded doses from monochromatic 5.35 keV X ray (LET ~6 keV/μm), 18.3 MeV/u carbon ion (LET ~103 keV/μm), 13 MeV/u neon ion (LET ~380 keV/μm) or 11.5 MeV/u argon ion (LET ~1,260 keV/μm) microbeams in the presence or absence of 18-α-glycyrrhetinic acid (AGA), an inhibitor of GJIC. After 4 h incubation at 37°C, the cells were subcultured and assayed for micronucleus (MN) formation. Micronuclei were induced in a greater fraction of cells than expected based on the fraction of cells targeted by primary radiation, and the effect occurred in a dose-dependent manner with any of the radiation sources. Interestingly, MN formation for the heavy-ion microbeam irradiation in the absence of AGA was higher than in its presence at high mean absorbed doses. In contrast, there were no significant differences in cell cultures exposed to X-ray microbeam irradiation in presence or absence of AGA. This showed that the inhibition of GJIC depressed the enhancement of MN formation in bystander cells from cultures exposed to high-LET radiation but not low-LET radiation. Bystander cells recipient of growth medium harvested from 5.35 keV X-irradiated cultures experienced stress manifested in the form of excess micronucleus formation. Together, the results support the involvement of both junctional communication and secreted factor(s) in the propagation of radiation-induced stress to bystander cells. They highlight the important role of radiation quality and dose in the observed effects.

Uncomfortable issues in radiation protection posed by low-dose radiobiology

This paper aims to stimulate discussion about the relevance for radiation protection of recent findings in low-dose radiobiology. Issues are raised which suggest that low-dose effects are much more complex than has been previously assumed. These include genomic instability, bystander effects, multiple stressor exposures and chronic exposures. To date, these have been accepted as being relevant issues, but there is no clear way to integrate knowledge about these effects into the existing radiation protection framework. A further issue which might actually lead to some fruitful approaches for human radiation protection is the need to develop a new framework for protecting non-human biota. The brainstorming that is being applied to develop effective and practical ways to protect ecosystems widens the debate from the narrow focus of human protection which is currently about protecting humans from radiation-induced cancers.

Gap junctions and Bystander Effects: Good Samaritans and executioners

The "Bystander" and "Good Samaritan" effects involve the transfer of toxic or beneficial compounds from one cell to a generally adjacent other through gap junction channels and through extracellular routes. The variety of injuries in which bystander cell killing or protection occurs has greatly expanded in the last decade to include infectious agents and therapeutic compounds, radiation injury, chaperones in cell therapy and apoptosis in development. This has been accompanied by the appreciation that both gap junction mediated and paracrine routes are used for the signaling of the "kiss of life" and the "kiss of death" and that manipulations of these pathways and the molecules that use them may find therapeutic utility in treatment of a variety of pathological conditions.

Radiation survivors: understanding and exploiting the phenotype following fractionated radiation therapy

Radiation oncology modalities such as intensity-modulated and image-guided radiation therapy can reduce the high dose to normal tissue and deliver a heterogeneous dose to tumors, focusing on areas deemed at highest risk for tumor persistence. Clinical radiation oncology produces daily doses ranging from 1 to 20 Gy, with tissues being exposed to 30 or more daily fractions. Hypothesizing the cells that survive fractionated radiation therapy have a substantially different phenotype than the untreated cells, which might be exploitable for targeting with molecular therapeutics or immunotherapy, three prostate cancer cell lines (PC3, DU145, and LNCaP) and normal endothelial cells were studied to understand the biology of differential effects of multifraction (MF) radiation of 0.5, 1, and/or 2 Gy fraction to 10 Gy total dose, and a single dose of 5 and 10 Gy. The resulting changes in mRNA, miRNA, and phosphoproteome were analyzed. Significant differences were observed in the MF radiation exposures including those from the 0.5 Gy MF that produces little cell killing. As expected, p53 function played a major role in response. Pathways modified by MF include immune response, DNA damage, cell-cycle arrest, TGF-β, survival, and apoptotic signal transduction. The radiation-induced stress response will set forth a unique platform for exploiting the effects of radiation therapy as "focused biology" for cancer treatment in conjunction with molecular targeted or immunologically directed therapy. Given that more normal tissue is treated, albeit to lower doses with these newer techniques, the response of the normal tissue may also influence long-term treatment outcome.

Dependence of adaptive response and its bystander transmission on the genetic background of tested cells

PURPOSE

Radiation-induced adaptive response (AR) is a phenomenon of increased radioresistance mediated by a low priming dose of ionizing radiation (IR) applied prior to a higher challenging dose. We have previously shown that in mouse-embryo fibroblasts (MEF) and human A549 cells, AR is associated with enhanced repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) by the DNA-PK-dependent pathway of non-homologous end-joining (D-NHEJ). Importantly, AR was 'transmitted' to non-irradiated bystander cells through transfer of medium from cells that had received a priming dose of IR. Here, we examine the influence of the genetic background in these responses.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Two plasmid-based assays specifically designed to measure the efficiency of NHEJ and HRR (homologous recombination repair) were deployed. MEF and the primary human fibroblast cell lines HF12 and HF19 were exposed to 10 mGy to 5 Gy X-rays. Bystander effects were investigated using the medium-transfer technique.

RESULTS

In contrast to MEF, which induce robust AR to NHEJ, even as a bystander response, human fibroblasts fail to develop such phenomena.

CONCLUSIONS

The development of AR is cell-type-specific. The same holds true for the development of AR as a bystander effect. Better understanding of the underlying mechanisms will help to understand the molecular basis of these differences in response.

The role of mitochondria in the radiation-induced bystander effect in human lymphoblastoid cells

Cells without intact mitochondrial DNA have been shown to lack the bystander effect, which is an energy-dependent process. We hypothesized that cells harboring mutations in mitochondrial genes responsible for ATP synthesis would show a decreased bystander effect compared to normal cells. Radiation-induced bystander effects were analyzed in two normal and four mitochondrial mutant human lymphoblastoid cells. Medium from previously irradiated cells (conditioned medium) was transferred to unirradiated cells from the respective cell lines and evaluated for the bystander effect using the cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay. Unlike normal cells that were used as a control, mitochondrial mutant cells neither generated nor responded to the bystander signals. The bystander effect was inhibited in normal cells by adding the mitochondrial inhibitors rotenone and oligomycin to the culture medium. Time-controlled blocking of the bystander effect by inhibitors was found to occur either for prolonged exposure to the inhibitor prior to irradiation with an immediate and subsequent removal of the inhibitors or immediate post-application of the inhibitor. Adding the inhibitors just prior to irradiation and removing them immediately after irradiation was uneventful. Fully functional mitochondrial metabolic capability may therefore be essential for the bystander effect.

Emerging role of radiation induced bystander effects: Cell communications and carcinogenesis

Ionizing radiation is an invaluable diagnostic and treatment tool used in various clinical applications. On the other hand, radiation is a known cytotoxic with a potential DNA damaging and carcinogenic effects. However, the biological effects of low and high linear energy transfer (LET) radiations are considerably more complex than previously thought. In the past decade, evidence has mounted for a novel biological phenomenon termed as "bystander effect" (BE), wherein directly irradiated cells transmit damaging signals to non-irradiated cells thereby inducing a response similar to that of irradiated cells. BE can also be induced in various cells irrespective of the type of radiation, and the BE may be more damaging in the longer term than direct radiation exposure. BE is mediated either through gap-junctions or via soluble factors released by irradiated cells. DNA damage response mechanisms represent a vital line of defense against exogenous and endogenous damage caused by radiation and promote two distinct outcomes: survival and the maintenance of genomic stability. The latter is critical for cancer avoidance. Therefore, efforts to understand and modulate the bystander responses will provide new approaches to cancer therapy and prevention. This review overviews the emerging role of BE of low and high LET radiations on the genomic instability of bystander cells and its possible implications for carcinogenesis.

Critical role for lactate dehydrogenase A in aerobic glycolysis that sustains pulmonary microvascular endothelial cell proliferation

Pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells possess both highly proliferative and angiogenic capacities, yet it is unclear how these cells sustain the metabolic requirements essential for such growth. Rapidly proliferating cells rely on aerobic glycolysis to sustain growth, which is characterized by glucose consumption, glucose fermentation to lactate, and lactic acidosis, all in the presence of sufficient oxygen concentrations. Lactate dehydrogenase A converts pyruvate to lactate necessary to sustain rapid flux through glycolysis. We therefore tested the hypothesis that pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells express lactate dehydrogenase A necessary to utilize aerobic glycolysis and support their growth. Pulmonary microvascular endothelial cell (PMVEC) growth curves were conducted over a 7-day period. PMVECs consumed glucose, converted glucose into lactate, and acidified the media. Restricting extracellular glucose abolished the lactic acidosis and reduced PMVEC growth, as did replacing glucose with galactose. In contrast, slow-growing pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAECs) minimally consumed glucose and did not develop a lactic acidosis throughout the growth curve. Oxygen consumption was twofold higher in PAECs than in PMVECs, yet total cellular ATP concentrations were twofold higher in PMVECs. Glucose transporter 1, hexokinase-2, and lactate dehydrogenase A were all upregulated in PMVECs compared with their macrovascular counterparts. Inhibiting lactate dehydrogenase A activity and expression prevented lactic acidosis and reduced PMVEC growth. Thus PMVECs utilize aerobic glycolysis to sustain their rapid growth rates, which is dependent on lactate dehydrogenase A.

Investigation of bystander effects in hybrid cells by means of cell fusion and premature chromosome condensation induction

The established dogma in radiation sciences that underlies radiation protection and therapeutic applications is that radiation effects require induction of DNA damage only in cells that are directly hit by the radiation. However, extensive work during the last decade demonstrates that DNA damage responses can be detected in cells that are only bystanders. Such effects include cell killing and responses associated with DNA and chromosome damage. Here, we developed a strategy for investigating bystander effects on chromosomal integrity by premature chromosome condensation using hybrid cell formation between nontargeted human lymphocytes and targeted CHO cells or vice versa. We reasoned that signaling molecules generated in the targeted component of the hybrid will transfer to the nontargeted cell, inducing damage detectable at the chromosomal level. The results indicate that bystander cytogenetic effects between CHO and human lymphocytes cannot be detected under the experimental conditions used. This may be due either to the lack of communication of such responses between the components of the hybrid or to their abrogation by the experimental manipulations. These observations and the methodology developed should be useful in the further development of protocols for investigating bystander responses and for elucidating the underlying mechanisms.

Cell Line Specific Modulation of Connexin43 Expression after Exposure to Ionizing Radiation

Gap junctional intercellular communication plays a significant role in mediating radiation-induced bystander effects. However, the level of Cx43 itself is influenced by ionizing radiation, which could modify the bystander effect. Here we have investigated several cell lines for the modulation of Cx43 expression 24 h after irradiation with 5 Gy X-rays. The mouse endothelial cell line bEnd3 revealed a significantly elevated level of Cx43 already 15 min after exposure to X-rays, whereas human hybrid endothelial cells (EA.hy926) exhibited a transient downregulation of Cx43 mRNA. No obvious changes in the communication properties of the different cell lines could be observed after irradiation. The communication-deficient malignant human trophoblast cell line Jeg3 stably transfected with Cx43 did not reveal any induction of endogenous nor alteration in the exogenous Cx43 transcript level upon exposure to 5 Gy. Taken together, our data show a cell line specific modulation of Cx43 expression after exposure to X-rays.

Estrogen enhanced cell-cell signalling in breast cancer cells exposed to targeted irradiation

Background

Radiation-induced bystander responses, where cells respond to their neighbours being irradiated are being extensively studied. Although evidence shows that bystander responses can be induced in many types of cells, it is not known whether there is a radiation-induced bystander effect in breast cancer cells, where the radiosensitivity may be dependent on the role of the cellular estrogen receptor (ER). This study investigated radiation-induced bystander responses in estrogen receptor-positive MCF-7 and estrogen receptor-negative MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells.

Methods

The influence of estrogen and anti-estrogen treatments on the bystander response was determined by individually irradiating a fraction of cells within the population with a precise number of helium-3 using a charged particle microbeam. Damage was scored as chromosomal damage measured as micronucleus formation.

Results

A bystander response measured as increased yield of micronucleated cells was triggered in both MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. The contribution of the bystander response to total cell damage in MCF-7 cells was higher than that in MDA-MB-231 cells although the radiosensitivity of MDA-MB-231 was higher than MCF-7. Treatment of cells with 17β-estradiol (E2) increased the radiosensitivity and the bystander response in MCF-7 cells, and the effect was diminished by anti-estrogen tamoxifen (TAM). E2 also increased the level of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in MCF-7 cells in the absence of radiation. In contrast, E2 and TAM had no influence on the bystander response and ROS levels in MDA-MB-231 cells. Moreover, the treatment of MCF-7 cells with antioxidants eliminated both the E2-induced ROS increase and E2-enhanced bystander response triggered by the microbeam irradiation, which indicates that ROS are involved in the E2-enhanced bystander micronuclei formation after microbeam irradiation.

Conclusion

The observation of bystander responses in breast tumour cells may offer new potential targets for radiation-based therapies in the treatment of breast cancer.

Dilution of irradiated cell conditioned medium and the bystander effect

While nontargeted and low-dose effects such as the bystander effect are now accepted, the mechanisms underlying the response have yet to be elucidated. It has been shown that the transfer of irradiated cell conditioned medium (ICCM) can kill cells that are not directly irradiated; however, to date the effect of ICCM concentration on cell killing has not been reported. The occurrence of a bystander effect was determined by measuring cell survival after exposure to various ICCM dilutions, using the colony-forming assay, in cells of six human cell lines with varied bystander responses and tumor/ p53 status. Autologous ICCM transfer for these cell lines induced a bystander effect as reported previously. ICCM from these cell lines was transferred to cells of a common reporter cell line (HPV-G) to investigate whether the lack of an induced bystander effect was due to their inability to generate or to respond to a bystander signal(s). ICCM from cells of four cell lines induced a bystander effect in HPV-G reporter cells, confirming that signal production is a critical factor. A saturation response was observed when ICCM was diluted. Survival was found to increase linearly until a plateau was reached and the bystander effect was abolished at 2x dilution. The effect of ICCM from the different cell lines reached a plateau at different dilutions, which were found to correlate with the cell line's radiosensitivity.

The early and initiation processes of radiation-induced bystander effects involved in the induction of DNA double strand breaks in non-irradiated cultures

The initiation and the early process of bystander response induced by low dose alpha-particle irradiation are very important for understanding the mechanisms underlying the bystander response. Using a 1 cGy alpha-particle to irradiate 50% of the area of a rectangular mylar dish, time-dependent DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) were induced shortly after irradiation in AG1522 cells, located either in the irradiated area or in the non-irradiated bystander area, reaching a maximum 30 min post irradiation. Medium transfer experiments showed that the conditioned medium harvested from the irradiated culture induced excessive DNA DSBs in the medium recipient cells, and the DSB-inducing ability of the medium showed was time-dependent. The medium transfer results indicated that the soluble bystander signalling molecule(s) had been generated very soon (probably less than 2.5 min) after irradiation and exist continuously to 30 min although the production of signalling molecule(s) decreased after 10 min post irradiation. Pre-treatment with dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) eliminated the DNA DSB-inducing ability of the conditioned medium, as well as the formation of excessive DNA DSBs in both irradiated and non-irradiated bystander areas, indicating that reactive oxygen/nitrogen species etc. might be involved in these processes.

A role for bioelectric effects in the induction of bystander signals by ionizing radiation?

The induction of "bystander effects" i.e. effects in cells which have not received an ionizing radiation track, is now accepted but the mechanisms are not completely clear. Bystander effects following high and low LET radiation exposure are accepted but mechanisms are still not understood. There is some evidence for a physical component to the signal. This paper tests the hypothesis that bioelectric or biomagnetic phenomena are involved. Human immortalized skin keratinocytes and primary explants of mouse bladder and fish skin, were exposed directly to ionizing radiation or treated in a variety of bystander protocols. Exposure of cells was conducted by shielding one group of flasks using lead, to reduce the dose below the threshold of 2mGy (60)Cobalt gamma rays established for the bystander effect. The endpoint for the bystander effect in the reporter system used was reduction in cloning efficiency (RCE). The magnitude of the RCE was similar in shielded and unshielded flasks. When cells were placed in a Faraday cage the magnitude of the RCE was less but not eliminated. The results suggest that liquid media or cell-cell contact transmission of bystander factors may be only part of the bystander mechanism. Bioelectric or bio magnetic fields may have a role to play. To test this further, cells were placed in a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine for 10 min using a typical head scan protocol. This treatment also induced a bystander response. Apart from the obvious clinical relevance, the MRI results further suggest that bystander effects may be produced by non-ionizing exposures. It is concluded that bioelectric or magnetic effects may be involved in producing bystander signaling cascades commonly seen following ionizing radiation exposure.

Radioadaptive response revisited

Radiation-induced adaptive response belongs to the group of non-targeted effects that do not require direct exposure of the cell nucleus by radiation. It is described as the reduced damaging effect of a challenging radiation dose when induced by a previous low priming dose. Adaptive responses have been observed in vitro and in vivo using various indicators of cellular damage, such as cell lethality, chromosomal aberrations, mutation induction, radiosensitivity, and DNA repair. Adaptive response can be divided into three successive biological phenomena, the intracellular response, the extracellular signal, and the maintenance. The intracellular response leading to adaptation of a single cell is a complex biological process including induction or suppression of gene groups. An extracellular signal, the nature of which is unknown, may be sent by the affected cell to neighbouring cells causing them to adapt as well. This occurs either by a release of diffusible signalling molecules or by gap-junction intercellular communication. Adaptive response can be maintained for periods ranging from of a few hours to several months. Constantly increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) or nitric oxide (NO) have been observed in adapted cells and both factors may play a role in the maintenance process. Although adaptive response seems to function by an on/off principle, it is a phenomenon showing a high degree of inter- and intraindividual variability. It remains to be seen to what extent adaptive response is functional in humans at relevant dose and dose-rate exposures. A better understanding of adaptive response and other non-targeted effects is needed before they can be confirmed as risk estimate factors for the human population at low levels of ionising radiation.

Radiation-induced bystander effects: evidence for an adaptive response to low dose exposures?

This paper reviews our current knowledge of the mechanisms underlying the induction of bystander effects by low dose, low-LET ionizing radiation and discusses how they may be related to observed adaptive responses or other protective effects of low dose exposures. Bystander effects appear to be the result of a generalized stress response in tissues or cells. The signals may be produced by all exposed cells, but the response appears to require a quorum in order to be expressed. The major response involving low LET radiation exposure discussed in the existing literature is a death response. This has many characteristics of apoptosis but is p53 independent. While a death response might appear to be adverse, the position is argued in this paper that it is in fact protective and removes damaged cells from the population. Since many cell populations carry damaged cells without being exposed to radiation, so called "background damage", it is possible that low doses exposures cause removal of cells damaged by agents other than the test dose of radiation. This mechanism would lead to the production of "U-shaped" dose response curves. In this scenario, the level of "adaptive" or beneficial response will be related to the background damage carried by the cell population. This model may be important when attempting to predict the consequences of mixed exposures involving radiation and other environmental stressors.

The involvement of calcium and MAP kinase signaling pathways in the production of radiation-induced bystander effects

Much evidence now exists regarding radiation-induced bystander effects, but the mechanisms involved in the transduction of the signal are still unclear. The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways have been linked to growth factor-mediated regulation of cellular events such as proliferation, senescence, differentiation and apoptosis. Activation of multiple MAPK pathways such as the ERK, JNK and p38 pathways have been shown to occur after exposure of cells to radiation and a variety of other toxic stresses. Previous studies have shown oxidative stress and calcium signaling to be important in radiation-induced bystander effects. The aim of the present study was to investigate MAPK signaling pathways in bystander cells exposed to irradiated cell conditioned medium (ICCM) and the role of oxidative metabolism and calcium signaling in the induction of bystander responses. Human keratinocytes (HPV-G cell line) were irradiated (0.005-5 Gy) using a cobalt-60 teletherapy unit. The medium was harvested 1 h postirradiation and transferred to recipient HPV-G cells. Phosphorylated forms of p38, JNK and ERK were studied by immunofluorescence 30 min-24 h after exposure to ICCM. Inhibitors of the ERK pathway (PD98059 and U0126), the JNK pathway (SP600125), and the p38 pathway (SB203580) were used to investigate whether bystander-induced cell death could be blocked. Cells were also incubated with ICCM in the presence of superoxide dismutase, catalase, EGTA, verapamil, nifedipine and thapsigargin to investigate whether bystander effects could be inhibited because of the known effects on calcium homeostasis. Activated forms of JNK and ERK proteins were observed after exposure to ICCM. Inhibition of the ERK pathway appeared to increase bystander-induced apoptosis, while inhibition of the JNK pathway appeared to decrease apoptosis. In addition, reactive oxygen species, such as superoxide and hydrogen peroxide, and calcium signaling were found to be important modulators of bystander responses. Further investigations of these signaling pathways may aid in the identification of novel therapeutic targets.

Microdosimetric Model for the Induction of Cell Killing through Medium‐Borne Signals

Microbeam, medium-transfer and low-dose experiments have demonstrated that intercellular signals can initiate many of the same biological events and processes as direct exposure to ionizing radiation. These phenomena cast doubt on cell-autonomous modes of action and the linear, no-threshold carcinogenesis paradigm. To account for the effects of intercellular signals, new approaches are needed to relate dosimetric quantities to the emission and processing of signals by irradiated and unirradiated cells. In this paper, microdosimetric principles are used to develop a stochastic model to relate absorbed dose to the emission and processing of cell death signals by unirradiated cells. Our analyses of published results of medium transfer experiments performed using HPV-G human keratinocytes suggest that the emission of death signals is a bi-exponential function of dose with a distinct plateau in the 5- to 100-mGy range. However, the emission of death signals by HPV-G cells may not become fully saturated until the absorbed dose becomes larger than 0.6 Gy. Similar saturation effects have been observed in microbeam and medium-transfer experiments with other mammalian cell lines. The model predicts that the cell-killing effect of medium-borne death signals decreases exponentially as the absorbed dose becomes small compared to the frequency-mean specific energy per radiation event.

Medium from irradiated cells induces dose-dependent mitochondrial changes and BCL2 responses in unirradiated human keratinocytes

Exposure of unirradiated human keratinocytes to irradiated cell conditioned medium (ICCM) is known to cause a cascade of events that leads to reproductive death and apoptosis. This study investigates the effect of ICCM on clonogenic survival, mitochondrial mass and BCL2 expression in unirradiated keratinocytes. Exposure to 5 mGy, 0.5 Gy and 5 Gy ICCM resulted in a significant decrease in clonogenic survival. Human keratinocytes incubated with ICCM containing an antioxidant, N-acetylcysteine, showed no significant decrease in clonogenic survival. HPV-G cells incubated with ICCM containing a caspase 9 inhibitor showed no significant decrease in clonogenic survival when the ICCM dose was < or =0.5 Gy. A significant increase in mitochondrial mass per cell was observed after exposure to 5 mGy and 0.5 Gy ICCM. A change in the distribution of the mitochondria from a diffuse cytoplasmic distribution to a more densely concentrated perinuclear distribution was also observed at these doses. No significant increase in mitochondrial mass or change in distribution of the mitochondria was found for 5 Gy ICCM. Low BCL2 expression was observed in HPV-G cells exposed to 5 mGy or 0.5 Gy ICCM, whereas a large significant increase in BCL2 expression was observed in cells exposed to 5 Gy ICCM. This study has shown that low-dose irradiation can cause cells to produce medium-borne signals that can cause mitochondrial changes and the induction of BCL2 expression in unirradiated HPV-G cells. The dose dependence of the mitochondrial changes and BCL2 expression suggests that the mechanisms may be aimed at control of response to radiation at the population level through signaling pathways.

Radiation-induced bystander effects: are they good, bad or both?

Our current knowledge of the mechanisms underlying the induction of bystander effects by low dose-low linear-energy-transfer ionising radiation is reviewed, and the question of how bystander effects may be related to observed adaptive responses, systemic genomic instability or other effects of low doses exposures is considered. Bystander effects appear to be the result of a generalised stress response in tissues or cells. The signals may be produced by all exposed cells but the response may require a quoram in order to be expressed. The major response involving low LET radiation exposure discussed in the existing literature is a death response, which has many characteristics of apoptosis but may be detected in cell lines without p53 expression. While a death response might appear to be adverse, it can in fact be protective and remove damaged cells from the population. Since many cell populations carry damaged cells without being exposed to radiation ('background damage') low doses exposures might cause removal of cells damaged by agents other than the test dose of radiation, which would lead to the production of 'u- or n-shaped' dose-response curves. The level of harmful or beneficial response would then be related to the background damage carried by the cell population and the genetic programme determining response to damage. This model may be important when attempting to predict the consequences of mixed exposures involving radiation and other environmental stressors.

The Death-Inducing Effect and Genomic Instability

Exposure to ionizing radiation can induce a heritable change in the unirradiated progeny of irradiated cells. This non-targeted effect of ionizing radiation manifests as genomic instability, and although there is some debate as to the role of genomic instability in the carcinogenic process, it is thought by some to be an early step in radiation carcinogenesis. Although the mechanism of induction of genomic instability is not clearly understood, evidence suggests that secreted factors from irradiated cells may be involved. We have previously identified another non-targeted effect of ionizing radiation, the death-inducing effect. Exposure of unirradiated GM10115 cells to medium from chromosomally unstable clones was generally found to be cytotoxic. However, occasionally cells will survive in medium from unstable clones and can be clonally expanded. The absolute yield of survivors is independent of the initial number of cells plated when cell densities reached 5,000 or more cells/dish. After cytogenetic analysis of the surviving colonies, we found chromosomal instability in three of 40 clones analyzed, while some clones exhibited increased micronucleus frequency and HPRT mutation frequency. These data suggest that our chromosomally unstable GM10115 cells secrete factors that are cytotoxic to the majority of stable, parental cells but are also capable of inducing a heritable change in some of the survivors that can manifest as delayed genomic instability. These results suggest a mechanism whereby instability can be perpetuated through the influences of potentially cytotoxic factors produced by genomically unstable clones.

Medium-mediated intercellular communication is involved in bystander responses of X-ray-irradiated normal human fibroblasts

Although radiation-induced bystander effects have been demonstrated in a number of cell types, the studies have largely been performed using high linear energy transfer (LET) radiation, such as alpha-particles. The literature is contradictory on whether fibroblasts show bystander responses, especially after low LET radiation such as X- or gamma-rays and whether the same signal transmission pathways are involved. Herein, a novel transwell insert culture dish method is used to show that X-irradiation induces medium-mediated bystander effects in AGO1522 normal human fibroblasts. The frequency of micronuclei formation in unirradiated bystander cells increases from a background of about 6.5% to about 9-13% at all doses from 0.1 to 10 Gy to the irradiated cells. Induction of p21Waf1 protein and foci of gamma-H2AX in bystander cells is also independent of dose to the irradiated cells above 0.1 Gy. In addition, levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) were increased persistently in directly irradiated cells up to 60 h after irradiation and in bystander cells for 30 h. Adding Cu-Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase to the medium decreases the formation of micronuclei and induction of p21Waf1 and gamma-H2AX foci in bystander cells, suggesting oxidative metabolism plays a role in the signaling pathways in bystander cells. The results of clonogenic assay of bystander cells showed that survival of bystander cells decreases from 0 to 0.5 Gy, and then is independent of the dose to irradiated cells from 0.5 to 10 Gy. Unlike the response with p21Waf1 expression, gamma-H2AX foci and micronuclei, adding SOD and catalase has no effect on the survival of bystander cells. The data suggest that irradiated cells release toxic factors other than ROS into the medium.

A paracrine signal mediates the cell transformation response to low dose gamma radiation in JB6 cells

The carcinogenic response to radiation is complex and may involve adaptive cellular responses as well as a bystander effect mediated by paracrine or intercellular signaling activities. Using a newly developed co-culture model we have examined whether low dose gamma radiation induces the transformation of JB6 mouse epidermal cells as well as non-irradiated bystander cells. Cell transformation response is defined as the acquisition of anchorage-independent growth properties and is quantified by counting colonies on soft agar. Exposure of JB6 cells to low dose (2-20 cGy) gamma radiation resulted in an approximate 1.9 +/- 0.1 and 2.8 +/- 0.5-fold increase in cell transformation response when cells were seeded at 1 x 10(4) or 1 x 10(5) cells/dish, relative to respective sham exposed controls. We developed a co-culture model where sham exposed or irradiated JB6 cells were mixed with non-irradiated JB6 cells that had been stably transfected with the enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP) to enable the distinction of fluorescent bystander-specific colonies. A significant increase in the number of bystander-specific colonies was observed in co-culture with 10 cGy irradiated JB6 cells (224 +/- 9), relative to the number of bystander-specific colonies arising in co-culture with sham exposed JB6 cells (55 +/- 16). Our results indicate that low dose radiation induces the transformation of JB6 cells and that a soluble paracrine factor that is secreted by irradiated cells induces the transformation of non-irradiated bystander cells.

Commentary on radiation-induced bystander effects

The paradigm of genetic alterations being restricted to direct DNA damage after exposure to ionizing radiation has been challenged by observations in which effects of ionizing radiation arise in cells that in themselves receive no radiation exposure. These effects are demonstrated in cells that are the descendants of irradiated cells (radiation-induced genomic instability) or in cells that are in contact with irradiated cells or receive certain signals from irradiated cells (radiation-induced bystander effects). Bystander signals may be transmitted either by direct intercellular communication through gap junctions, or by diffusible factors, such as cytokines released from irradiated cells. In both phenomena, the untargeted effects of ionizing radiation appear to be associated with free radical-mediated processes. There is evidence that radiation-induced genomic instability may be a consequence of, and in some cell systems may also produce, bystander interactions involving intercellular signalling, production of cytokines and free radical generation. These processes are also features of inflammatory responses that are known to have the potential for both bystander-mediated and persisting damage as well as for conferring a predisposition to malignancy. Thus, radiation-induced genomic instability and untargeted bystander effects may reflect interrelated aspects of inflammatory type responses to radiation-induced stress and injury and contribute to the variety of the pathological consequences of radiation exposures.

Effect of Medium on Chromatin Damage in Bystander Mammalian Cells

In the present study, we examined the potential contribution of irradiated medium to the bystander effect using custom-made double-Mylar stainless steel rings. Exponentially growing human-hamster hybrid (A(L)) cells were plated on either one or both sides of double-Mylar dishes 2-4 days before irradiation. One side (with or without cells) was irradiated with alpha particles using the track segment mode of a 4 MeV Van de Graaff accelerator at the Radiological Research Accelerator Facility of Columbia University. Since alpha particles can traverse only a very limited distance (around 23 microm in water), cells plated on the other side of a medium-filled Mylar dish will not be irradiated by the alpha particles. The results of the cytogenetic assay of unirradiated target cells that were attached to the top Mylar layer indicate that the number of chromatid-type aberrations was higher when there was a bottom layer of cells in the medium-filled chambers than with just medium alone. Furthermore, when the medium was transferred from these cell-irradiated dishes to fresh A(L) cell cultures, chromatid-type aberrations were produced in the unirradiated fresh cells. In contrast, medium irradiated in the absence of cells had no effect on chromatid aberrations. These results suggest that certain unidentified modulating factors secreted from the irradiated cells on the bottom Mylar layer into the medium induce chromatin damage in the unirradiated bystander cells.

Bystander Effects in Repair-Deficient Cell Lines

One of the current hypotheses concerning the role of bystander effects in biological systems is that they are protective because they terminate division in cells with collateral or possibly pre-existing DNA damage that is not properly repaired. Following the logic of this hypothesis led us to consider that cell lines that are repair deficient should have larger than usual bystander effects. To test this, several different "repair- deficient" cell lines were used for bystander experiments. Response was monitored by determining the cloning efficiency or, in the case of non-adherent cell lines, the cell number. The results show that the repair-deficient human cell lines and surviving progeny produced moderate to severe bystander- induced death effects in either autologous cells or a reporter cell line. Normal "repair-proficient" lines, which were matched as far as possible, have very much less severe or absent bystander-inducible effects on cloning efficiency. Cells of hamster cell lines derived from CHO-K1 cells did not produce similar severe effects. The results suggest that repair- deficient human cell lines, irrespective of the actual repair defect, may respond to the occurrence of DNA damage in the population by removing large numbers of cells from the proliferating pool.

Oxidative metabolism, gap junctions and the ionizing radiation-induced bystander effect

Evidence accumulated over the past two decades has indicated that exposure of cell populations to ionizing radiation results in significant biological effects occurring in both the irradiated and nonirradiated cells in the population. This phenomenon, termed the 'bystander response', has been shown to occur both in vitro and in vivo and has been postulated to impact both the estimation of risks of exposure to low doses/low fluences of ionizing radiation and radiotherapy. Several mechanisms involving secreted soluble factors, oxidative metabolism and gap-junction intercellular communication have been proposed to regulate the radiation-induced bystander effect. Our current knowledge of the biochemical and molecular events involved in the latter two processes is reviewed in this article.

Radiation-induced genomic instability and bystander effects: inter-related nontargeted effects of exposure to ionizing radiation

The paradigm of genetic alterations being restricted to direct DNA damage after exposure to ionizing radiation has been challenged by observations in which cells that are not exposed to ionizing radiation exhibit responses typically associated with direct radiation exposure. These effects are demonstrated in cells that are the descendants of irradiated cells (radiation-induced genomic instability) or in cells that are in contact with irradiated cells or receive certain signals from irradiated cells (radiation-induced bystander effects). There is accumulating evidence that radiation-induced genomic instability may be a consequence of, and in some cell systems may also produce, bystander interactions involving intercellular signalling, production of cytokines and free-radical generation. These processes are also features of inflammatory responses that are known to have the potential for both bystander-mediated and persisting damage as well as for conferring a predisposition to malignancy. Thus, radiation-induced genomic instability and untargeted bystander effects may reflect inter-related aspects of inflammatory-type responses to radiation-induced stress and injury and contribute to the variety of pathological consequences of radiation exposures.