Melanoma Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Melanoma, including details on identification, causes, prevention, treatment.

Dose and time dependent apoptotic response in a human melanoma cell line exposed to accelerated boron ions at four different LET.

Meijer AE, Jernberg AR, Heiden T, Stenerlöw B, Persson LM, Tilly N, Lind BK, Edgren MR

Department of Oncology-Pathology, Division of Medical Radiation Physics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. annelie.meijer@cck.ki.se

The aim was to investigate and compare the influence of linear energy transfer (LET), dose and time on the induction of apoptosis in a human melanoma cell line exposed to accelerated light boron ((10)B) ions and photons. Cells were exposed in vitro to doses up to 6 Gy accelerated boron ions (40, 80, 125 and 160 eV nm(-1)) and up to 12 Gy photons (0.2 eV nm(-1)). The induction of apoptosis was measured up to 9 days after irradiation using morphological characterization of apoptotic cells and bodies. In parallel, measurements of cell-cycle distribution, monitored by DNA flow cytometry, and cell survival based on the clonogenic cell survival assay, were performed. In addition, the induction and repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSB), using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) were studied. Accelerated boron ions induced a significant increase in apoptosis as compared with photons at all time points studied. At 1-5 h the percentage of radiation-induced apoptotic cells increased with both dose and LET. At the later time points (24-216 h) the apoptotic response was more complex and did not increase in a strictly LET-dependent manner. The early premitotic apoptotic cells disappeared at 24 h following exposure to the highest LET (160 eV nm(-1)). A postmitotic apoptotic response was seen after release of the dose-, time- and LET-dependent G2/M accumulations. The loss of clonogenic ability was dose- and LET-dependent and the fraction of un-rejoined DSB increased with increasing LET. Despite the LET-dependent clonogenic cell killing, it was not possible to measure quantitatively a LET-dependent apoptotic response. This was due to the different time course of appearance and disappearance of apoptotic cells.

Published 15 July 2005 in Int J Radiat Biol, 81(4): 261-72.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2004-2010 Melanoma Research Today. All Rights Reserved.