Isolation and characterization of highly radioresistant malignant hamster fibroblasts that survive acute gamma irradiation with 20 Gy.

To study the acquired radioresistance of tumor cells, a model system of two cell lines, Djungarian hamster fibroblasts (DH-TK-) and their radioresistant progeny, was established. The progeny of irradiated cells were isolated by treating the parental cell monolayer with a single dose of 20 Gy (PIC-20). The genetic and morphological features, clonogenic ability, radiosensitivity, cell growth kinetics, ability to grow in methylcellulose, and tumorigenicity of these cell lines were compared. The plating efficiency of PIC-20 cells exceeded that of DH-TK- cells. The progeny of irradiated cells were more radioresistant than parental cells. The average D0 for PIC-20 cells was 7.4 +/- 0.2 Gy, which is three times higher than that for parental cells (2.5 +/- 0.1 Gy). Progeny cell survival in methylcellulose after irradiation with a dose of 10 Gy was 15 times higher than that of DH-TK- cells. In contrast to parental cells, the progeny of irradiated cells showed fast and effective repopulation after irradiation with doses of 12.5 and 15 Gy. The tumor formation ability of irradiated progeny cells was higher than that of parental cells; after 15 Gy irradiation, PIC-20 cells produced tumors as large as unirradiated progeny of irradiated cells, whereas the tumor development of DH-TK- cells diminished by 70%. High radioresistance of progeny of irradiated cells was reproduced during the long period of cultivation (more than 80 passages). The stability of the radioresistant phenotype of PIC-20 cells allows us to investigate the possible mechanisms of acquired tumor radioresistance.

Photobiological modulation of cell attachment via cytochrome c oxidase.

The number of cells attached to glass substrates increases if HeLa cell suspensions are irradiated with monochromatic visible-to-near infrared radiation (600-860 nm, 52 J m(-2)) prior to plating. The well-structured relationship between this biological response and the radiation wavelength (action spectrum with maxima at 620, 680, 760, and 820 nm) suggests the existence of a photoacceptor responsible for the enhancement of attachment (presumably cytochrome c oxidase, the terminal enzyme of the respiratory chain) and, secondly, the existence of signaling pathways between the mitochondria, the plasma membrane, and the nucleus of the cell. Treating the cell suspension with ouabain (a Na(+), K(+)-ATPase inhibitor), amiloride (an inhibitor of N(+)/H(+) exchangers), or sodium azide (a cytochrome c oxidase inhibitor) prior to irradiation significantly modifies the action spectrum of cell attachment enhancement. The action of the chemicals under study also depends on their concentration and radiation fluence. Our results point to the existence of at least three signaling pathways (reaction channels) relating together the cell attachment, the respiratory chain, and the Na(+), K(+)-ATPase and N(+)/H(+) exchanger activities.