Ionizing radiation induces a variety of different DNA lesions; in addition to the most critical DNA damage, the DSB, numerous base alterations, SSBs and other modifications of the DNA double-helix are formed. When several non-DSB lesions are clustered within a short distance along DNA, or close to a DSB, they may interfere with the repair of DSBs and affect the measurement of DSB induction and ...

Genomic instability, a hallmark of cancer, is commonly caused by failures in the DNA damage response. Here we conducted a bioinformatical screen to reveal DNA damage response genes that are upregulated by estrogen and highly mutated in breast and ovarian cancers. This screen identified 53 estrogen-dependent cancer genes, some of which are novel. Notably, the screen retrieved 9 DNA helicases as ...

Background: Varicocele occurs in approximately 15 to 20% of the general male population and it is the most common cause of poor semen production and decreased semen quality. It has been demonstrated that patients with varicocele have a significantly higher DNA damage and spermatozoa with nuclear anomalies than healthy men. Previously it was documented that antioxidant therapy or varicocelectomy...

PURPOSE To determine the increase in single- (SSB) and double-strand break (DSB) yields after post-high LET irradiation incubation of plasmid DNA with the endonuclease-III (endo-III) of Escherichia coli. MATERIALS AND METHODS Plasmid DNA in aerobic aqueous solution was irradiated with one of five radiation types: 137Cs gamma-rays (LET approximately 0.3keV microm(-1)), 244Cm alpha-particles (1...

Senescent cells produce and secrete various bioactive molecules including interleukins, growth factors, matrix-degrading enzymes and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Thus, it has been proposed that senescent cells can damage their local environment, and a stimulatory effect on tumour cell growth and invasiveness has been documented. However, it was unknown what effect, if any, senescent cells hav...

It is now well-established that outcomes of radiotherapy depend on quality of radiation. A large body of experimental evidences suggests that high-LET (linear energy transfer) radiation or particle radiation has the ability to kill tumor cells more efficiently than low-LET photon beams such as X-rays and γ-rays [1,2]. The unique characteristics of particle beam, which includes precise dose dist...