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At least 91 records · Page 5

Solar radiation induced rotational bursting of interplanetary particles

It is suggested that the magnitudes of the two radiation-induced rotational bursting mechanisms (Radzieskii effect and windmill effect) have been overestimated and that they do not work significantly faster than the Poynting-Robertson effect in removing interplanetary particles. These two mechanisms are described, and serious doubts are raised regarding the derivation of their radiation pressure-torque proportionality constants, which are required for calculating their magnitudes. It is shown that both mechanisms will cause the alignment of elongated particles and, consequently, the polarization of zodiacal light. Since no positive polarization has been measured at the antisolar point, it is concluded that the magnitudes of the rotational bursting mechanisms are smaller than that of the Poynting-Robertson effect.

Sparrow, J. G.↗

Integrating Large Scale Data Sets to Develop Predictive Hypotheses of Low-Dose Radiation-Induced Health Effects

Over one hundred years of radiation biology research has revealed much about the DNA damages induced by the deposition of energy from exposure to ionizing radiation and the subsequent cellular responses. However, there are still significant gaps in our understanding of how these might lead to detrimental health effects, particularly at low doses (100 mGy (milligray)). Recent advances in high throughput omics technologies enable interrogation of induced radiation effects at the genomic, proteomic and metabolomic levels. These include changes in gene expression, protein modifications, e.g., phosphorylation, acetylation, and methylation, and metabolic changes. We will discuss the integration of data obtained from multiple omics platforms to understand radiation dose, and dose rate effects in a complex human tissue model as a function of time. We will use as an example our results on the low dose responses in a 3D human skin model.

ionizing radiation↗

Analysis of Terminal Deletions using a Generalized Time-Dependent Model of Radiation-Induced Formation of Chromosomal Aberrations

We have developed a model that can simulate different types of radiation induced chromosomal aberrations (CA's) and can provide predictions on the frequency and size of chromosomes with terminal deletions. Chromosomes with terminal deletions lack telomeres and this can elicit sister chromatid unions and the prolonged breakage/fusion/bridge (B/F/B) cycles that have been observed in mammalian tumors. The loss of a single telomere has been shown to cause extensive genomic instability through the B/F/B cycle process. Our model uses a stochastic process of DNA broken end joining, in which a realistic spectrum of CA's is created from improperly joined DNA free ends formed by DNA double strand breaks (DSBs). The distribution of the DNA free ends is given by a mechanistic model that takes into account the chromatin structure and track structure for high-LET radiation. The model allows for DSB clustering from high-LET radiation and simulates the formation of CA's in stages that correspond to the actual time after radiation exposure. The time scale for CA formation is derived from experimental data on DSB repair kinetics. At any given time a nucleus may have intact chromosomes, CA's, and/or unrepaired fragments, some of which are defined as terminal deletions, if they are capped by one telomere. The model produces a spectrum of terminal deletions with their corresponding probabilities and size distributions for different heavy ions exposures for the first division after exposure. This data provides valuable information because there is limited experimental data available in the literature on the on the actual size of terminal deletions. We compare our model output to the available experimental data and make a reasonable extrapolation on the number of chromosomes lacking telomeres in human lymphocytes exposed to heavy ions. This model generates data which may lead to predictions on the rate of genomic instability in cells after exposure to high charge and energy nuclei affecting astronauts during space missions.

Ponomarev, Artem L.↗

A computational approach to the relationship between radiation induced double strand breaks and translocations

A theoretical framework is presented which provides a quantitative analysis of radiation induced translocations between the ab1 oncogene on CH9q34 and a breakpoint cluster region, bcr, on CH 22q11. Such translocations are associated frequently with chronic myelogenous leukemia. The theory is based on the assumption that incorrect or unfaithful rejoining of initial double strand breaks produced concurrently within the 200 kbp intron region upstream of the second abl exon, and the 16.5 kbp region between bcr exon 2 and exon 6 interact with each other, resulting in a fusion gene. for an x-ray dose of 100 Gy, there is good agreement between the theoretical estimate and the one available experimental result. The theory has been extended to provide dose response curves for these types of translocations. These curves are quadratic at low doses and become linear at high doses.

NASA Discipline Radiation Health↗

Rejoining and misrejoining of radiation-induced chromatin breaks. II. Biophysical Model

A biophysical model for the kinetics of the formation of radiation-induced chromosome aberrations is developed to account for the recent experimental results obtained with a combination of the premature chromosome condensation (PCC) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) techniques. In this model, we consider the broken ends of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) to be reactant and make use of the interaction distance hypothesis. The repair/misrepair process between broken ends is suggested to consist of two steps; the first step represents the two break ends approaching each other, and the second step represents the enzymatic processes leading to DNA end-to-end rejoining. Only the second step is reflected in the kinetics observed in experiments using PCC. The model appears to be able to fit existing data for human cells. It is shown that the kinetics of the formation of chromosome aberrations can be explained by a single rate that characterizes both rejoining and misrejoining of DSBs, suggesting that repair and misrepair share the same mechanism. Fast repair (completed in minutes) in a subset of DSBs is suggested as an explanation of the complete exchanges observed with PCC in human lymphocytes immediately after irradiation. The fast repair component seems to be absent in human fibroblasts.

NASA Center JSC↗

Radiation induced rotation of interplanetary dust particles - A feasibility study for a space experiment

Irregular interplanetary dust particles may acquire a considerable spin rate due to two non-statistical dynamical mechanisms induced by solar radiation. These arise from variations in surface albedo discussed by Radzievskii (1954) and from irregularities in surface geometry discussed by Paddack (1969). An experiment is reported which will lead to an evaluation in space of the effectiveness of these two spin mechanisms. The technique of optical levitation in an argon laser beam provides a stable trap for particles 10-60 microns in diameter. The objective is to design an optical trap for dielectric particles in vacuum to study these rotation mechanisms in the gravity-free environment of a Spacelab experiment.

Ratcliff, K. F.↗

Radiation-induced DNA damage and chromatin structure

DNA lesions induced by ionizing radiation in cells are clustered and not randomly distributed. For low linear energy transfer (LET) radiation this clustering occurs mainly on the small scales of DNA molecules and nucleosomes. For example, experimental evidence suggests that both strands of DNA on the nucleosomal surface can be damaged in single events and that this damage occurs with a 10-bp modulation because of protection by histones. For high LET radiation, clustering also occurs on a larger scale and depends on chromatin organization. A particularly significant clustering occurs when an ionizing particle traverses the 30 nm chromatin fiber with generation of heavily damaged DNA regions with an average size of about 2 kbp. On an even larger scale, high LET radiation can produce several DNA double-strand breaks in closer proximity than expected from randomness. It is suggested that this increases the probability of misrejoining of DNA ends and generation of lethal chromosome aberrations.

Review↗

Radiation-induced chromosomal instability in human mammary epithelial cells

Karyotypes of human cells surviving X- and alpha-irradiation have been studied. Human mammary epithelial cells of the immortal, non-tumorigenic cell line H184B5 F5-1 M/10 were irradiated and surviving clones isolated and expanded in culture. Cytogenetic analysis was performed using dedicated software with an image analyzer. We have found that both high- and low-LET radiation induced chromosomal instability in long-term cultures, but with different characteristics. Complex chromosomal rearrangements were observed after X-rays, while chromosome loss predominated after alpha-particles. Deletions were observed in both cases. In clones derived from cells exposed to alpha-particles, some cells showed extensive chromosome breaking and double minutes. Genomic instability was correlated to delayed reproductive death and neoplastic transformation. These results indicate that chromosomal instability is a radiation-quality-dependent effect which could determine late genetic effects, and should therefore be carefully considered in the evaluation of risk for space missions.

NASA Center JSC↗

Study of radiation induced deep-level defects and annealing effects in the proton irradiated AlGaAs-GaAs solar cells

The radiation induced deep-level defects and the recombination parameters in the proton irradiated AlGaAs-GaAs p-n junction solar cells were investigated over a wide range of proton energies (from 50 KeV to 10 MeV) and proton fluences (from 10 to the 10th to 10 to the 13th P/sq cm), using DLTS, I-V, C-V, and SEM-EMIC measurement techniques. The measurements were used to determine the defect and recombination parameters such as defect density and energy level, carrier lifetimes, and the hole diffusion lengths in the GaAs LPE layers. Results show that a good correlation was obtained between the measured defect parameters and the dark recombination current as well as the performance parameters of the solar cells. The most damages to the cell were produced by the 200 KeV protons. In addition, the effects of low temperatures (200 to 400 C) thermal annealing on the deep-level defects and the dark current of the 200 KeV proton irradiated samples were examined.

Li, S. S.↗

Simulations of DSB Yields and Radiation-induced Chromosomal Aberrations in Human Cells Based on the Stochastic Track Structure Induced by HZE Particles

The formation of double‐strand breaks (DSBs) and chromosomal aberrations (CAs) is of great importance in radiation research and, specifically, in space applications. We are presenting a new particle track and DNA damage model, in which the particle stochastic track structure is combined with the random walk (RW) structure of chromosomes in a cell nucleus. The motivation for this effort stems from the fact that the model with the RW chromosomes, NASARTI (NASA radiation track image) previously relied on amorphous track structure, while the stochastic track structure model RITRACKS (Relativistic Ion Tracks) was focused on more microscopic targets than the entire genome. We have combined chromosomes simulated by RWs with stochastic track structure, which uses nanoscopic dose calculations performed with the Monte‐Carlo simulation by RITRACKS in a voxelized space. The new simulations produce the number of DSBs as function of dose and particle fluence for high‐energy particles, including iron, carbon and protons, using voxels of 20 nm dimension. The combined model also calculates yields of radiation‐induced CAs and unrejoined chromosome breaks in normal and repair deficient cells. The joined computational model is calibrated using the relative frequencies and distributions of chromosomal aberrations reported in the literature. The model considers fractionated deposition of energy to approximate dose rates of the space flight environment. The joined model also predicts of the yields and sizes of translocations, dicentrics, rings, and more complex‐type aberrations formed in the G0/G1 cell cycle phase during the first cell division after irradiation. We found that the main advantage of the joined model is our ability to simulate small doses: 0.05‐0.5 Gy. At such low doses, the stochastic track structure proved to be indispensable, as the action of individual delta‐rays becomes more important.

Ponomarev, Artem↗

Considering Cell Proliferation to Optimize Detection of Radiation-induced 53BP1+ Foci in 15 Mouse Strains ex vivo

Due to high metabolic activity, proliferating cells continuously generate free radicals, which induce DNA double strand breaks (DSB). Fluorescently tagged nuclear foci of DNA repair protein 53 binding protein-1(53BP1) are used as a standard metric for measuring DSB formation at baseline and in response to environmental insults such as radiation. Here we demonstrate that the background level of spontaneous 53BP1+ foci formation can be modeled mathematically as a function of cell confluence, which is a metric of proliferation rate. This model was validated using spontaneous 53BP1+ foci data from 68 cultures of primary skin fibroblasts derived from 15 different strains of mice, showing a ~10 fold decrease from low to full confluence that is independent of mouse strain. We developed an online open access tool to correct for the impact of cell confluence on the detection of radiation-induced 53BP1+ foci (RIF). This tool provides guidelines for the number of cells required to reach statistical significance for the detection of excess foci induced by low doses of ionizing radiation as a function of confluence and time post-irradiation. We hope that this quantification tool will help the radiation biology community in the design of future experiments that utilize 53BP1+ foci-based quantification of radiation responses in vitro. Our “tool for enhanced results of RIF in cells” (terRIFic) can be found at: https://radbiolab.shinyapps.io/terrific/

Radiation, DNA damage, confluence↗

Investigations of radiation-induced and carrier-enhanced conductivity

A steady-state carrier computer code, PECK (Parker Enhanced Carrier Kinetics), that predicts the radiation-induced conductivity (RIC) produced in a dielectric by an electron beam was developed. The model, which assumes instantly-trapped holes, was then applied to experimental measurements on thin Kapton samples penetrated by an electron beam. Measurements at high bias were matched in the model by an appropriate choice for the trap-modulated electron mobility. A fractional split between front and rear currents measured at zone bias is explained on the basis of beam-scattering. The effects of carrier-enhanced conductivity (CEC) on data obtained for thick, free-surface Kapton samples is described by using an analytical model that incorporates field injection of carriers from the RIC region. The computer code, LWPCHARGE, modified for carrier transport, is also used to predict partial penetration effects associated with CEC in the unirradiated region. Experimental currents and surface voltages, when incorporated in the appropriate models, provide a value for the trap modulated mobility that is in essential agreement with the RIC results.

Meulenberg, A., Jr.↗