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Abstract
Purpose: In case of a nuclear accident, individuals with high-dose radiation exposure (>1-2 Gy) should be rapidly identified. While ferredoxin reductase (FDXR) was recently suggested as a radiation-responsive gene, the use of a single gene biomarker limits radiation dose assessment. To overcome this limitation, we sought to identify reliable radiation-responsive gene biomarkers.

Materials and methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from mice after total body irradiation, and gene expression was analyzed using a microarray approach to identify radiation-responsive genes.

Results: In light of the essential role of the immune response following radiation exposure, we selected several immune-related candidate genes upregulated by radiation exposure in both mouse and human PBMCs. In particular, the expression of ACOD1 and CXCL10 increased in a radiation dose-dependent manner, while remaining unchanged following lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation in human PBMCs. The expression of both genes was further evaluated in the blood of cancer patients before and after radiotherapy. CXCL10 expression exhibited a distinct increase after radiotherapy and was positively correlated with FDXR expression.

Conclusions: CXCL10 expression in irradiated PBMCs represents a potential biomarker for radiation exposure.

Affiliations

Seo Young Kwak 1, Ji-Hye Park 1 2, Hee-Young Won 2, Hyosun Jang 1, Seung Bum Lee 1, Won Il Jang 1 3, Sunhoo Park 1 4, Min-Jung Kim 1, Sehwan Shim 1
1Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Science, Laboratory of Radiation Exposure & Therapeutics, National Radiation Emergency Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea.
2OPTOLANE Technologies Inc., Seongnam, South Korea.
3Department of Radiation Oncology, Korea Cancer Center Hospital, Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences, Seoul, South Korea.
4Department of Pathology, Korea Cancer Center Hospital, Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Science, Seoul, South Korea.