Abstract
Over the past two decades, our understanding of radiation biology has undergone a fundamental shift in paradigms away from deterministic "hit-effect" relationships and towards complex ongoing "cellular responses". These responses include now familiar, but still poorly understood, phenomena associated with radiation exposure such as bystander effects, genomic instability, and adaptive responses. All three have been observed at very low doses, and at time points far removed from the initial radiation exposure, and are extremely relevant for linear extrapolation to low doses; the adaptive response is particularly relevant when exposure is spread over a period of time. These are precisely the circumstances that are most relevant to understanding cancer risk associated with environmental and occupational radiation exposures. This review will provide a synthesis of the known, and proposed, interrelationships amongst low-dose cellular responses to radiation. It also will examine the potential importance of non-targeted cellular responses to ionizing radiation in setting acceptable exposure limits especially to low-LET radiations.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 21-32 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Mutation Research - Fundamental and Molecular Mechanisms of Mutagenesis |
Volume | 568 |
Issue number | 1 SPEC. ISS. |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 2 2004 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Adaptive response
- Bystander effects
- Genomic instability
- Ionizing radiation
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Molecular Biology
- Genetics
- Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis