Effects of Laser UV-Microirradiation (λ = 2573 Å) on Proliferation of Chinese Hamster Cells

A laser uv-microbeam with a wavelength of 2573 Å having a minimum spot diameter of approx 0.5 μm was used to microirradiate interphase cells of a V-79 subline of Chinese hamster cells. The incident energy necessary to induce a significant decrease of proliferation was 30 to 60 times larger after microirradiation of cytoplasm as compared with microirradiation of nucleoplasm. The mean value of relative cell numbers 40 hr after irradiation as a function of incident energy did not differ whether the cells were microirradiated lying singly or together in small groups. Analysis of individual growth curves of singly lying cells microirradiated in the nucleoplasm with the same energy showed heterogeneous reactions. The incident energy per cell compatible with proliferation of about 50% of the cells after microirradiation of nucleoplasm was approx. 2× 10^-3 ergs. From this value it is suggested that the energy density within the focus was in the region of several thousand ergs per square millimeter. Photochemical effects are thought to be the cause of growth disturbance, while thermal effects are excluded.