Published in:
01-02-2005 | Review Article
Genetic and epigenetic features in radiation sensitivity
Part I: Cell signalling in radiation response
Authors:
Michel H. Bourguignon, Pablo A. Gisone, Maria R. Perez, Severino Michelin, Diana Dubner, Marina Di Giorgio, Edgardo D. Carosella
Published in:
European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
|
Issue 2/2005
Login to get access
Abstract
Recent progress especially in the field of gene identification and expression has attracted greater attention to genetic and epigenetic susceptibility to cancer, possibly enhanced by ionising radiation. It has been proposed that the occurrence and severity of the adverse reactions to radiation therapy are also influenced by such genetic susceptibility. This issue is especially important for radiation therapists since hypersensitive patients may suffer from adverse effects in normal tissues following standard radiation therapy, while normally sensitive patients could receive higher doses of radiation offering a better likelihood of cure for malignant tumours. This paper, the first of two parts, reviews the main mechanisms involved in cell response to ionising radiation. DNA repair machinery and cell signalling pathways are considered and their role in radiosensitivity is analysed. The implication of non-targeted and delayed effects in radiosensitivity is also discussed.