Re: Genomic instability

["Björn Cedervall" <bjorn_cedervall@hotmail.com>]

Andrew,

I think a more common term is "genomic instability". Some
people I know here in Sweden are working on the subject.
Among them are Annelie Meijer, Kerstin Holmberg and
Bo Lambert. You will find at least a couple of their
publications in Int. J. Radiat. Biol. (after around 1996).
Use Medline and I am sure that you'll find the papers
(I have copies of them but not where I am located at
this moment).
Some have already commented the subject - briefly, as I
have understood "genomic instability" the phenomenon
includes errors on a DNA/chromosomal level that may occur
show up first after several cell divisions (say more than
3). In other words, if you irradiate cells with a dose
that allows for a certain fraction of survivors, and then
culture these cells and their progeny, you'll find that
some cells die directly, others form small clones (say less
than 50 cells) and then stop, whereas some cells seem
normal and go through several seemingly normal mitotic events.
Then, at this stage, suddenly some errors may show up like
non-disjunction or other phenomena leading to the wrong
chromosomal numbers. Must stop here - for a meeting.

Bjorn

>Subject: genetic instability
>
>I have just finished reading a paper and letters commenting on it that
>refer to "genetic instability" resulting from exposure to low doses of 
very
>high LET radiation.  I am unfamiliar with the term "genetic 
instability"
>and would appreciate anyone who can either point me in the right 
direction
>to find out what it means or who can perhaps give a brief description 
of
>this phenomenon.  
>
>Thanks in advance!
>
>Andy
>------------------------
bjorn_cedervall@hotmail.com
Depts. Medical Radiation Biology and Medical Radiation Physics,
Karolinska Institutet, Box 260,
S-171 76 Stockholm, Sweden
Ph/fax: Int + 468 343525 (Med. Radiation Physics)


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