We have tested chronic exposure to ${}^{90}{\rm Y}$ β radiation for its action as a complete tumor promoter, a stage I tumor promoter, or a stage II tumor promoter in SENCAR mouse skin. In skin initiated with a single application of 7,12,dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA, 10 nmol), chronic exposure to β radiation as a complete promoter (0.5 Gy, twice/week, 13 weeks) produced no tumors and, when added to a complete chemical promoter (TPA), reduced tumor frequency about 30%. A similar result was observed when β radiation was tested as a stage II promoter. DMBA-initiated mice that received chemical (12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, TPA) stage I promotion followed by 13 weeks of β-radiation exposure (0.5 Gy, twice/week) as stage II promotion produced essentially no tumors, and combining the same chronic β-radiation exposure with chemical (mezerein) stage II promotion reduced tumor frequency about 20% when compared to a similar group that was not irradiated. Chronic β-radiation exposure was tested two ways as a stage I tumor promoter in initiated skin that was subsequently treated with mezerein as a stage II promoter. Stage I promotion was shown to proceed with the passage of time, indicating this process occurs naturally in the absence of chemical or physical stimulation. Hyperthermia, previously shown to be a potent inhibitor of chemically stimulated stage I promotion, had no effect on the natural process, indicating at least some differences in mechanism between the two processes. The natural process was, in fact, inhibited by chemical tumor promoters, but not by radiation. In addition to the increase resulting from this natural process, tumor frequency was further increased slightly but significantly (12-15%, P ≤0.05) when chronic radiation exposure was given as a stage I promoter (0.5 Gy, twice/week, 13 weeks) subsequent to initiation, in spite of the expected 20% reduction resulting from this dose. Exposure of initiated animals to radiation (0.5 or 1.0 Gy, twice/week, 2 weeks) in addition to TPA as stage I promotion produced a similar increase in tumor frequency (P < 0.02). At higher radiation doses, however, tumor frequency was reduced compared to unirradiated controls. In a third test as a stage I promoter, β radiation (0.5 Gy twice/week, 4 weeks) was given prior to initiation with N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine in animals subsequently promoted by TPA (twice/week, 13 weeks), and again the radiation slightly but significantly (P < 0.03) increased tumor frequency compared to the unirradiated control group. As before, a higher dose prevented the increase and reduced tumor frequency. These results indicate no action of chronic β irradiation either as a complete tumor promoter or as a stage II promoter. However, three different tests of chronic β irradiation as a stage I promoter all indicated a weak but positive action. Stage I-promoting activity by radiation may result from stimulation of a natural process, but as dose or dose rate increases, the net effect may be reduced or eliminated by killing of initiated cells.

Either an ionizing radiation exposure or a heat shock is capable of inducing both thermal tolerance and radiation resistance in yeast. Yeast mutants, deficient in topoisomerase I, in topoisomerase II, or in DNA polymerase I, were used to investigate the mechanism of these inducible resistances. The absence of either or both topoisomerase activities did not prevent induction of either heat or radiation resistance. However, if both topoisomerase I and II activities were absent, the sensitivity of yeast to become thermally tolerant (in response to a heat stress) was markedly increased. The absence of only topoisomerase I activity (top1) resulted in the constitutive expression of increased radiation resistance equivalent to that induced by a heat shock in wild-type cells, and the topoisomerase I-deficient cells were not further inducible by heat. This heat-inducible component of radiation resistance (or its equivalent constitutive expression in top1 cells) was, in turn, only a portion of the full response inducible by radiation. The absence of polymerase I activity had no detectable effect on either response. Our results indicate that the actual systems that confer resistance to heat or radiation are independent of either topoisomerase activity or DNA polymerase function, but suggest that topoisomerases may have a regulatory role during the signaling of these mechanisms. The results of our experiments imply that maintenance of correct DNA topology prevents induction of the heat-shock response, and that heat-shock induction of a component of the full radiation resistance in yeast may be the consequence of topoisomerase I inactivation.

The effect of various doses of γ radiation (5-60 krad) on the membrane permeability and cell survival of Candida albicans, a pathogenic yeast, was investigated. A reduction in the cell survival and in the accumulation of amino acids (proline, glycine, lysine, and glutamic acid) was observed following irradiation. The rate of oxygen uptake, which is often associated with transport, was also reduced. There was no damage to available sulfhydryl groups following the exposure of cells to various doses of γ radiation. The membrane lipid composition of C. albicans cells can be altered by growing them in alkanes of varying chain lengths. The effect of such altered lipid composition on radiosensitivity was examined. It was observed that C. albicans cells with altered lipid content acquire resistance to γ radiation.