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Biomedical subjects

T J FitzGerald

Publications and source records attributed to T J FitzGerald.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The effect of radiation therapy on normal tissue function.

As more patients are treated for their primary malignancy with cure or increased disease-free intervals, injury to normal tissues will become more detectable and an important endpoint for study. Future protocols will probably be modified based on toxicity endpoints. In Hodgkin's disease, current protocols use response-based treatment strategies to limit therapy. The objective is to provide the same level of tumor control and follow normal tissue endpoints for outcome analysis. DVH analysis has improved the ability to analyze endpoint data for normal tissues. These image-guided platforms will provide the infrastructure needed to continue efforts in improving the delivery of radiation therapy.

Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation↗

Prostate carcinoma: opportunities for translational research.

Adenocarcinoma of the prostate continues to be a major health concern. Although modern screening techniques have increased the number of men presenting with early stage disease, a significant population of men will present with intermediate or advanced pathological risk factors for recurrence. There are defined limitations in outcome with traditional therapies including surgery, radiation therapy, and hormone manipulation. Patients with intermediate and high-risk factors for treatment failure are candidates for protocols using translational research strategies incorporated into studies currently in development. These strategies may be able to selectively treat expression products of tumor and thus be more selective in the target for treatment. Carefully designed studies using these translational strategies have great potential in improving clinical outcome, tumor kill, and normal tissue tolerance in the care of these patients.

Brachytherapy↗

Current calibration, treatment, and treatment planning techniques among institutions participating in the Children's Oncology Group.

PURPOSE: To report current technology implementation, radiation therapy physics and treatment planning practices, and results of treatment planning exercises among 261 institutions belonging to the Children's Oncology Group (COG). METHODS AND MATERIALS: The Radiation Therapy Committee of the newly formed COG mandated that each institution demonstrate basic physics and treatment planning abilities by satisfactorily completing a questionnaire and four treatment planning exercises designed by the Quality Assurance Review Center. The planning cases are (1) a maxillary sinus target volume (for two-dimensional planning), (2) a Hodgkin's disease mantle field (for irregular-field and off-axis dose calculations), (3) a central axis blocked case, and (4) a craniospinal irradiation case. The questionnaire and treatment plans were submitted (as of 1/30/02) by 243 institutions and completed satisfactorily by 233. Data from this questionnaire and analyses of the treatment plans with monitor unit calculations are presented. RESULTS: Of the 243 clinics responding, 54% use multileaf collimators routinely, 94% use asymmetric jaws routinely, and 13% use dynamic wedges. Nearly all institutions calibrate their linear accelerators following American Association of Physicists in Medicine protocols, currently 16% with TG-51 and 81% with TG-21 protocol. Treatment planning systems are relied on very heavily for all calculations, including monitor units. Techniques and results of each of the treatment planning exercises are presented. CONCLUSIONS: Together, these data provide a unique compilation of current (2001) radiation therapy practices in institutions treating pediatric patients. Overall, the COG facilities have the equipment and the personnel to perform high-quality radiation therapy. With ongoing quality assurance review, radiation therapy compliance with COG protocols should be high.

Brain↗

Miniature multileaf collimator as an alternative to traditional circular collimators for stereotactic radiosurgery and stereotactic radiotherapy.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the miniature multileaf collimator (MMLC) as an alternative to traditional circular collimators for radiosurgery. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 'Circular' fields were created with the Radionics MMLC (leaf width 3.53 mm at isocenter). Beam data, including tissue maximum ratios, output factors, penumbrae and isodose distributions of these fields were measured. These were compared to the Radionics circular collimators traditionally used for radiosurgery. The MMLC data were input to the XKnife Treatment Planning System. Treatment plans were completed and evaluated using both the MMLC 'circular' fields and the circular collimators. RESULTS: MMLC fields using 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13 leaves on each side of the Radionics MMLC were created to approximate circular fields. The TMRs are essentially identical to those of comparable-size circular collimators. Measured at isocenter at 5-cm depth for 6 MV, the 80-20% penumbra widths are comparable to circular collimators, but are increased by as much as 1 mm at the leaf intersections (steps) where scalloping occurs. Isodose distributions were matched to those of circular collimators with comparable 50% isodose widths. Treatment plans for the MMLC 'circular' fields with four arcs (totaling 360 degrees) are essentially identical to those of comparable circular collimators. Dose-volume histograms revealed clinically insignificant differences between the two in doses to the target, to the volume surrounding the target, and to adjacent critical normal tissues. There is very little discrepancy between the dose distribution calculated with the approximated MMLC fields and with those of simulated arcs with the actual MMLC fields. CONCLUSIONS: With the MMLC simulating circular fields, dose distributions may be obtained which are essentially identical to comparable-size circular collimators. The mechanical accuracy of the MMLC is as good as that of the circular collimators, and the leakage dose is less. The diameter of 'circular' fields is limited by the MMLC leaf width to 1 cm and greater in increments of 7 mm. Attention needs to be paid to mechanical collisions because the MMLC is bulkier than the circular collimators.

Humans↗

Differential expression of nitric oxide synthases in EGF-responsive mouse neural precursor cells.

Nitric oxide (NO) is a gaseous, radical molecule that plays a role in various physiological processes in the nervous system such as learning and hippocampal plasticity. It is generated from l-arginine by nitric oxide synthases (NOS), which come in three isoforms depending on the tissue of origin, namely inducible-NOS (iNOS in macrophages), endothelial-NOS (eNOS in endothelial cells) and neural-NOS (nNOS in neural cells). We used epidermal growth factor (EGF)-responsive nestin-positive neural precursor cells originating from the mouse E16 embryonic striatum, and studied the relative expression of NOS isoforms probed with isoform-specific antibody using the avidin-biotin immunohistochemical method. Our data revealed both nNOS and eNOS to be expressed in both neurospheres and desegregated neural precursor cells. However, iNOS signals were virtually undetectable in both cell categories. When the neural precursor cells were carried in the presence of poly-l-ornithine (PLO), there was a strong induction of the expression of iNOS proteins, indicating the possibility that this isoform is amenable to modulation by extracellular cues. These preliminary results suggest both nNOS and eNOS to be important in the physiology of neural precursor cells, and that iNOS might also play a role at certain stages in the life of these cells.

Animals↗

In vivo study of stainless steel and Ti-13Nb-13Zr bone plates in a sheep model.

A sheep study was performed to compare the in vivo performance of bone plates of 316L stainless steel and a new titanium alloy, titanium + 13% niobium + 13% zirconium (Ti-13Nb-13Zr), which had been subjected to a diffusion hardening treatment to produce a blue, wear resistant surface. Bone plates and screws of stainless steel and diffusion hardened Ti-13Nb-13Zr were implanted in adult sheep, in one group (with unosteotomized femurs) for 16 weeks, and in the other (with osteotomized femurs) for 8 weeks. At harvest, the diffusion hardened Ti-13Nb-13Zr devices had superior fixation strength, with greater screw torque out strength and fewer loose screws. In the osteotomized animals, the femurs with diffusion hardened Ti-13Nb-13Zr plates had higher torsional strength after removal of the implants; however, the difference was not statistically significant. In the unosteotomized animals, the torsional strength of the femurs was identical for both materials. There was a slightly reduced incidence of infection (bacterial adhesion) for the sheep with diffusion hardened Ti-13Nb-13Zr implants. In a parallel in vitro study, the magnetic resonance imaging compatibility of Ti-13Nb-13Zr was significantly superior to that of stainless steel. This indicates that diffusion hardened Ti-13Nb-13Zr may be an attractive alternative material for osteosynthesis.

Alloys↗

The effects of radiation on neovascularization in a rat model.

It is thought that radiation treatment inhibits neovascularization of recipient and/or graft tissues, and this may account in part for abnormalities in wound healing associated with radiation therapy. We have examined this hypothesis using a model that measures the neovascularization of an implanted foreign material. Expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) sheets were implanted adjacent to both superficial epigastric vascular pedicles of 63 rats distributed into 7 groups (n = 7) that differed with respect to dose and timing of irradiation. Zero to 10 daily fractions of electron-beam radiation (300 cGy each) were delivered to the implant in the right groin, while the implant in the left groin served as a nonirradiated internal control. Unirradiated animals showed equal neovascularization of both implants. Rats that were irradiated twice (single fractions at 0 and 24 hours after implantation) did not show a significant decrease in the neovascularization of the irradiated implant compared with the contralateral control implant. In contrast, the implants that were irradiated three times (single fractions at 0, 24, and 48 hours after implantation) demonstrated significantly diminished ( > 25 percent, p < 0.05) neovascularization beyond day 7, whereas implants irradiated only at 48 hours after implantation did not. Interestingly, neovascularization of the implants irradiated with 10 fractions (3000 cGy) was not significantly decreased compared with irradiation with three fractions (900 cGy). Irradiation delivered before implantation (900 cGy) inhibited neovascularization significantly less than the same dose administered after implantation. The results of this study suggest that a subclinical cumulative dose of 900 cGy is the threshold for impaired tissue revascularization provided that treatment is delivered immediately after implantation over a 48-hour interval.

Animals↗

Effects of gamma-irradiation on the M-CSF-promoter linked to a chloramphenicol aminoacyl transferase reporter gene expressed in a clonal murine bone marrow stromal cell line.

The effects of cytokines produced by bone marrow stromal cells on closely associated hematopoietic cells constitute a major component of the physiology of the hematopoietic microenvironment. A major cytokine produced by marrow stromal cells is macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF). To determine the effect of gamma-irradiation on the M-CSF promoter in bone marrow stromal cells, we selected a clonal cell line from the C3H/HeJ mouse marrow stromal cell line D2XRII and stably transfected a reporter construct containing the murine M-CSF-promoter linked to a chloramphenicol aminoacyl transferase (CAT) gene. CAT activity was measured at serial time points after gamma-irradiation in vitro to doses between 500 and 10,000 cGy at a dose rate of 116 cGy/min. D2XRII marrow stromal cells treated with phorbol myristate acetate (40 micrograms/ml, four h), demonstrated a significant two-fold increase in CAT activity. In contrast, CAT activity measured immediately, 24 h, 72 h or 1 week after gamma-irradiation, showed no significant increase or decrease in CAT activity. An increase in CAT activity was detected 48 h after irradiation with cells that received 5,000 cGy. Thus, single fraction gamma-irradiation of plateau phase bone marrow stromal cells did not decrease M-CSF-promoter activity. These results are consistent with prior experimental data demonstrating stable levels of release of M-CSF protein following gamma-irradiation of bone marrow stromal cells and imply that the stability of transcription of the gene for this important cytokine is protected from irradiation.

Animals↗

Expression of p210 bcr/abl increases hematopoietic progenitor cell radiosensitivity.

PURPOSE: The cytogenetic finding of the Ph1+ chromosome and its molecular biologic marker bcr/abl gene rearrangement in cells from patients with chronic myeloid leukemia are associated with a proliferative advantage of the Ph1+ clone in vivo. Although the transition to the acute terminal phase or blastic crisis is often associated with additional cytogenetic abnormalities, the molecular events which correlate the initial cytogenetic lesion with the terminal phase are poorly understood. Defective cellular DNA repair capacity is often associated with chromosomal instability, increased mutation frequency, and biologic alterations. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We, therefore, tested whether the protein product of the bcr/abl translocation (p210) could alter DNA repair after gamma-irradiation of murine cell lines expressing the bcr/abl cDNA. RESULTS: The 32D cl 3 parent, 32D cl 3 pYN (containing the control vector plasmid) and each of two sources of 32D cl 3 cells expressing p210 bcr/abl cDNA (32D-PC1 cell line and 32D-LG7 subclone) showed a D0 of 1.62, 1.57, 1.16, and 1.27 Gy, respectively. Thus, expression of the p210 bcr/abl product induced a significant (p < 0.05) increase in radiosensitivity at the clinically relevant radiation therapy dose-rate (1.16 Gy/min). The increased radiosensitivity of p210 bcr/abl expressing cells persisted if cells were held before plating in a density-inhibited state for 8 hr after gamma-irradiation, indicating little effect on the repair of potentially lethal gamma-irradiation damage. The IL-3 dependent parent 32D cl 3 cells demonstrated programmed cell death in the absence of growth factor or following gamma-irradiation to 200 cGy. Expression of bcr/abl cDNA in the 32D-PC1 and 32D-LG7 sub clones abrogated IL-3 requirement of these cell lines and inhibited gamma-irradiation induced programmed cell death. CONCLUSION: These data suggest a role for bcr/abl p210 in amplifying gamma-irradiation DNA damage or broadly inhibiting DNA repair, conditions that may stimulate further cytogenetic alterations in hematopoietic cells.

Biomarkers↗

The v-src oncogene may not be responsible for the increased radioresistance of hematopoietic progenitor cells expressing v-src.

Infection of the IL-3-dependent, myeloid progenitor cell line 32D cl 3 with murine retroviruses that contain either the wild-type or a temperature-sensitive mutant v-src can render these cells growth-factor independent. These cells also became resistant to gamma irradiation administered at the low-dose rate of 0.05 Gy/min, which is used clinically. The v-src-dependent nature of resistance to gamma irradiation was examined by studying four clones of 32D cl 3 cells that had been infected with a retrovirus carrying the tsLA31A mutant of v-src. The tyrosine-specific kinase activity of this mutant is dramatically reduced at the nonpermissive temperature of 39 degrees C. Cells transformed by v-src and grown at either 34 or 39 degrees C, in the presence or absence of IL-3, demonstrated a significantly higher D0 compared to parental cells examined under identical conditions. In addition, expression of v-src abrogated the synergistic killing effect of heat and gamma irradiation. The D0 of parental 32D cl 3 cells kept at 39 degrees C after gamma irradiation was reduced significantly compared to the D0 of these cells kept at 34 degrees C. This contrasts with data from 32D cl 3 cells infected with either the wild-type v-src or the temperature-sensitive mutant, neither exhibited a synergistic effect in the D0 at either 34 or 39 degrees C. Therefore, while continuous expression of a v-src gene product is required for maintenance of the growth-factor-independent state, v-src does not appear to be responsible for the increased gamma-radiation resistance of these cells at low dose rate.

Animals↗

Humoral and cell surface interactions during gamma-irradiation leukemogenesis in vitro.

Gamma-irradiation of plateau phase cultures of the clonal murine bone marrow stromal cell line D2XRII followed by cocultivation of a clonal interleukin 3 (IL-3) (granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-dependent hematopoietic progenitor cell line FDC-P1JL26 results in a significant increase in "cobblestone islands" of attachment and emergence of subclonal factor-independent malignant sublines. Biochemical purification of conditioned medium from irradiated D2XRII cells yielded a 75,000-dalton glycoprotein termed leukemogenic stromal factor (LSF) that was neutralized by a polyclonal antiserum to murine macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF). A monoclonal antibody to the murine M-CSF receptor (c-fms) neutralized the biological activity of this molecule in a manner comparable to its effect on recombinant human or murine M-CSF. FDC-P1JL26 parent cells were positive for Ly5, MEL-14, mGR, VLA-4, PGP-1 (CD44), and Thy1.2. After culture in LSF, Thy1.2, MEL-14, and mGR became undetectable; however, significant cell surface MAC-1 antigen and c-fms (M-CSF receptor) were expressed. Neither line was positive for Ly6, Ly22, I-CAM-1, or B220 antigen. LSF-precultured FDC-P1JL26 cells transferred as single cells to microwell culture with 5000-cGy-irradiated D2XRII cells revealed a 60-fold increase in frequency of cobblestone island formation and evolution of factor-independent subclones compared to the parent line. Both parent and LSF-precultured cells became factor independent at a 100-fold lower frequency if kept in suspension in LSF in the absence of stromal cells. Antiserum to M-CSF or monoclonal antibody to the murine M-CSF receptor (c-fms) did not inhibit or displace cobblestone island formation by either clone of FDC-P1 on irradiated stromal cells indicating a mechanism of binding not involving the M-CSF receptor. However, anti-serum to the M-CSF receptor inhibited growth of one factor-independent subclone. In separate studies, a subclone of IL-3-dependent 32Dc13 cells, expressing the transfected murine c-fms protooncogene but not the parent 32Dc13 cell line or another subclone expressing the transfected gene for the human M-CSF receptor, showed adherence and became factor independent when cocultivated with irradiated D2XRII stromal cells. Thus, irradiated stromal cells bind M-CSF receptor-positive hematopoietic progenitor cells and induce c-fms-dependent factor-independent tumorigenic subclones. The cellular interactions in this model may be relevant to gamma-irradiation leukemogenesis in vivo.

Animals↗

The v-abl, c-fms, or v-myc oncogene induces gamma radiation resistance of hematopoietic progenitor cell line 32d cl 3 at clinical low dose rate.

A variety of viral and cellular oncogenes have been described with differing mechanisms of action but with the common property of inducing morphologic alteration of cells in culture. Subclonal lines of oncogene expressing cells have been shown to produce tumors in vivo. Expression of the N-ras oncogene in embryo fibroblast NIH/3T3 cells has been demonstrated to increase radioresistance in vitro, and these results have been confirmed and extended to human cell lines expressing the c-raf oncogene. In the present report, we have examined the effects of expression of the c-fms, v-abl, or v-myc oncogene in a clonal hematopoietic progenitor cell line 32D cl 3. The 32D cell line is nonmalignant in vivo and is dependent upon a source of Interleukin-3 (IL-3) for growth in vitro. The radiation survival of 32D cl 3 cells transfected and expressed in the c-fms oncogene showed significant increase in the radioresistance at both 5 cGy/min and 116 cGy/min. A clone of 32D cl 3 transfected and expressing the v-myc oncogene demonstrated increased radioresistance at both dose rates. Results of split dose experiments suggested significant repair of sublethal irradiation damage of 32D-v-abl cells. Results were compared with expression of the same v-abl oncogene in the NIH/3T3 embryo fibroblast cell line. The data demonstrate that gamma irradiation resistance is significantly increased by each oncogene expressed in 32D cl 3 cells. The data on cell line 32D cl 3 may correlate with the radioresistance of v-abl expressing human hematopoietic cell malignancies treated by irradiation therapy.

Animals↗

Gamma-irradiation response of cocultivated bone marrow stromal cell lines of differing intrinsic radiosensitivity.

There is evidence for differences in the gamma-irradiation response of different cellular lineages within the bone marrow microenvironment. We previously reported that heterogeneity is demonstrable in the gamma-irradiation response of five clonal stromal cell lines, derived from one human bone marrow specimen, despite morphological, histochemical, cytogenetic, and functional similarity. In the present study we tested whether one stromal cell line could affect the intrinsic radiosensitivity of another. Two clonal stromal cell lines, which display distinct gamma-irradiation responses relative to dose rate were used: KM 101, which shows the same radiosensitivity at a low dose rate of 5 cGy/min (LDR) and a high dose rate of 120 cGy/min (HDR) and KM 104 which shows significant gamma-irradiation resistance at LDR. To facilitate the study of the gamma-irradiation response of each cell line during cocultivation, we derived stable subclones of each, expressing the transfected neomycin resistance (neo-r) gene, which confers resistance to the neomycin analog: G 418. Introduction of the neo-r gene did not alter cell lines radiosensitivity. The results show that cocultivation of stromal cell lines before, during, and after gamma-irradiation induces changes in repair of radiation-induced damage, with a dominant effect of a resistant cell line at LDR. In fact, the radiation survival curves of cocultivated stromal cell lines were always characteristic of KM 104, and a dose rate effect was observed, even when KM 101 was present in large excess. Moreover, our results are consistent with preferential killing of the more radiosensitive stromal cell line: both LDR and HDR Do values of the neo-r KM 101, cocultivated with the parent KM 104 for 24 hr before, and during gamma irradiation were significantly lower compared to the neo-r subclone irradiated alone. The LDR Do value of the neo-r KM 104 cocultivated for 24 hr before, and during gamma irradiation with excess of parent KM 101, was significantly higher, compared to the neo-r cells irradiated alone.

Bone Marrow↗

Hematopoietic stem cell- and marrow stromal cell-specific requirements for gamma irradiation leukemogenesis in vitro.

The hematopoietic and stromal cell-specific properties of the cells involved in gamma irradiation leukemogenesis in vitro were defined. Cocultivation of clonal factor-dependent (FD), interleukin 3 (IL-3)-dependent cell lines 32D cl 3 or B6SUtA, or dual IL-3-/granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)-dependent cell lines FDC-P1 or bg/bg d64 was carried out with clonal stromal cell lines D2XRII, GB1/6, +/+ 2.4, or Sld3. FD cell lines were added to control or 5000-cGy-irradiated plateau phase monolayer cultures of each stromal cell line, and parameters of stem cell engraftment and malignant transformation in vitro were quantitated. Cobblestone island formation by FD cells, cumulative production of nonadherent hematopoietic cells, and evolution of tumorigenic factor-independent (FI) subclonal lines were quantitated over 5-8 weeks. There was no detectable evolution of FI sublines with 32D cl 3, B6SUtA, or bg/bg d64 cells cocultivated with control or irradiated Sld3 stromal cells. IL-3-dependent cell lines 32D cl 3 or B6SUtA formed small 10- to 49-cell cobblestone "clusters" at low frequency on control or irradiated D2XRII, showed limited proliferation for less than 1 week, and showed no detectable evolution of FI cell lines. Subclones of 32D cl 3 derived by transfection and expression of recombinant oncogenes v-sis, or c-myc, or the epidermal growth factor receptor remained factor dependent and did not transform to factor independence after cocultivation with irradiated stromal cell lines. In contrast, cell line bg/bg d64, and each of seven subclonal lines of FDC-P1, including subclones selected for growth in GM-CSF, formed abundant cobblestone island colonies of greater than or equal to 50 cells on irradiated D2XRII stromal cells, produced non-adherent cells over 5-8 weeks, and showed evolution of tumorigenic FI subclonal lines. The data provide evidence for stable biological differences in both the hematopoietic and stromal cell components of the in vitro model of gamma irradiation leukemogenesis.

Animals↗

Expression of transfected recombinant oncogenes increases radiation resistance of clonal hematopoietic and fibroblast cell lines selectively at clinical low dose rate.

To determine the effect of oncogene expression on gamma radiation sensitivity of hematopoietic compared to fibroblastic cells, we selected clonal sublines of an interleukin-3 (IL-3)-dependent hematopoietic progenitor cell line 32D cl 3 and NIH/3T3 embryo fibroblastic cells following transfection with each oncogene linked to the mycophenolic acid resistance gene. Each mycophenolic acid-resistant subclone demonstrated high levels of specific poly(A)+ mRNA for each oncogene. The parent line 32D cl 3 demonstrated similar radiosensitivity at 116 cGy/min (D0 126, n 1.17) compared to 5 cGy/min (D0 123, n 1.65). This pattern was not altered in subclones of 32D cl 3 cells transfected with the epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor gene and grown in EGF (at 116 cGy/min D0 104, n 0.998, at 5 cGy/min D0 115, n 1.09), or in 32D cl 3 cells expressing the v-sis oncogene (at 116 cGy/min D0 122.4, n 1.79, at 5 cGy/min D0 135, n 1.43). In contrast, expression of the transfected oncogenes v-erb-B, v-abl, or v-src conferred significant radioresistance at 5 cGy/min dose rate (D0 194, n 1.77; D0 165.5, n 1.56; D0 171, n 1.28, respectively). With the exception of v-sis, oncogene expression resulted in nonautocrine factor independence of 32D cl 3 subclones, and production of donor origin tumors in syngeneic new-born or adult mice. Two rare spontaneous factor-independent subclones of 32D cl 3 were also tested. Nonautocrine clone 32D cl 2 demonstrated significantly increased radioresistance at low dose rate (D0 186, n 1.63), while autocrine (IL-3 producing) subclone 32D cl 4 revealed no significant increase in radioresistance at 5 cGy/min. The parent fibroblast cell line NIH/3T3 showed an intrinsic relative radioresistance at low dose rate (at 5 cGy/min D0 157.3, n 1.81, compared to 116 cGy/min D0 134.3, n 1.57). Expression in NIH/3T3 of transfected oncogenes v-abl, v-fms, v-fos, or H-ras increased radioresistance at low dose rate (D0 208.6, n 1.61; D0 206.6, n 1.51; D0 167.5, n 1.85; and D0 206.8, n 1.08, respectively). Thus expression of each of several oncogenes induces resistance to gamma irradiation at 5 cGy/min in hematopoietic and fibroblast cell lines. These data may help explain the clinical recurrence of oncogene-expressing leukemia and lymphoma cells after marrow stem cell ablative doses of low-dose-rate total-body irradiation.

Animals↗

Improved hematopoiesis in anemic Sl/Sld mice by splenectomy and therapeutic transplantation of a hematopoietic microenvironment.

The ability of a clonal hematopoiesis-supportive bone-marrow stromal cell line GBlneor to engraft and alter the microenvironment-induced anemia of Sl/Sld mice was studied. Prior to stromal cell transplantation, Sl/Sld mice received 1 Gy total body irradiation (TBI) and 13 Gy to the right hind limb. Two months after intravenous (IV) injection of 5 x 10(5) GBlneor cells, 54.4% +/- 17.0% donor origin (G418r) colony-forming cells were recovered from the right hind limb of Sl/Sld mice. Long-term bone marrow cultures (LTBMCs) established from GBlneor-transplanted mice produced 189.5 CFU-GEMM-forming progenitors/flask over 10 weeks compared with 52.7 +/- 6.2 CFU-GEMM forming progenitors/flask from irradiated nontransplanted Sl/Sld mice. A partial correction of macrocytic anemia was detected 2 months after GBlneor transplantation in splenectomized, irradiated Sl/Sld mice (HgB 7.2 +/- 0.4 g/dL; MCV 68.3 +/- 7.0 fL) compared to splenectomized, irradiated, nontransplanted Sl/Sld mice (HgB 5.5 +/- 1.1 g/dL; MCV 76 +/- 8.5 fL) or control Sl/Sld mice (HgB 5.4 +/- 0.5 g/dL; MCV 82.4 +/- 1.3 fL). Mean RBC volume distribution analysis showed a 2.5-fold increase in percentage of peripheral blood RBCs with MCV less than or equal to 45 fL and confirmed reduction of the MCV in splenectomized-GBlneor-transplanted mice compared to control Sl/Sld mice. A hematopoiesis-suppressive clonal stromal cell line derived from LTBMCs of Sl/Sld mice (Sldneor) engrafted as effectively (43.5% +/- 1.2% G418r CFU-F/limb) as did GBlneor cells (38.3% +/- 0.16% G418r CFU-F/limb) to the irradiated right hind limbs of C57Bl/6 mice. LTBMCs established after 2 or 6 months from Sldneor-transplanted mice showed decreased hematopoiesis (182 +/- 12 [2 months] and 3494.3 +/- 408.1 [6 months] CFU-GEMM forming progenitors/flask over 10 weeks) compared to those established from GBlneor-transplanted mice (5980 +/- 530 [2 months] and 7728 +/- 607, [6 months] CFU-GEMM progenitors forming/flask). Thus, transplantation of clonal bone-marrow stromal cell lines in vivo can stably transfer their physiologic properties to normal or mutant mice.

Anemia↗

Radiosensitivity of human prostate cancer and malignant melanoma cell lines.

The relative radioresponsiveness of human prostate cancer compared to malignant melanoma is well known. The effects of beta-estradiol or testosterone on the X-irradiation survival of several human cell lines were studied, including: human prostate carcinoma cell lines PC3 and DU145 and human malignant melanoma cell lines A375 and A875. Lines PC3 and DU145 demonstrated 55-61 fmol per 10(6) cells of androgen receptor with no detectable estrogen or progesterone receptor. Cells were irradiated at 120 cGy/min dose rate. There was no detectable toxicity of up to 10(-4) M testosterone or beta-estradiol on PC3 or DU145 cells in the absence of X-irradiation. At plating efficiencies from 11-13%, and plating densities of 1 x 10(4) cells per 60 cm2 flask, cell lines PC3 and DU145 demonstrated a Do of 108.5 +/- 6.5, n 2.1 +/- 0.7 cGy, and Do of 143.5 +/- 1.5 cGy, n 2.4 +/- 0.5, respectively. The addition of testosterone or beta-estradiol at 10(-4) to 10(-10) M prior to or after, X-irradiation did not alter radiosensitivity. At the same dose rate of 120 cGy/min, malignant melanoma cell lines A375 and A875 had a Do of 125 +/- 2.5 cGy, n 1.56 +/- 0.8 SF2 0.65 +/- 0.03 and line A875 demonstrated a Do of 129 +/- 4.5 cGy, n 1.58 +/- 0.4 SF2 0.55 +/- 0.04, respectively. The radiosensitivity of melanoma cell lines did not decrease at low dose rate 5 cGy/min. Thus, the in vitro radiosensitivity of androgen receptor positive prostate cancer cell lines is not necessarily altered by the presence of androgen before or after irradiation. The data support the concept that all malignant melanoma cell lines do not show a broad-shouldered cell survival curve in vitro and intrinsic cellular radioresistance.

Cell Survival↗