pubmed:abstractText |
We reported previously that human cells after neoplastic transformation in culture had acquired an increased susceptibility to chromatid damage induced by x-irradiation during the G2 phase of the cell cycle. Evidence suggested that this results from deficient DNA repair during G2 phase. Cells derived from human tumors also showed enhanced G2-phase chromosomal radiosensitivity. Furthermore, skin fibroblasts from individuals with genetic diseases predisposing to a high risk of cancer, including ataxia-telangiectasia, Bloom syndrome, Fanconi anemia, and xeroderma pigmentosum exhibited enhanced G2-phase chromosomal radiosensitivity. The present study shows that apparently normal skin fibroblasts from individuals with familial cancer--i.e., from families with a history of neoplastic disease--also exhibit enhanced G2-phase chromosomal radiosensitivity. This radiosensitivity appears, therefore, to be associated with both a genetic predisposition to cancer and a malignant neoplastic state. Furthermore, enhanced G2-phase chromosomal radiosensitivity may provide the basis for an assay to detect genetic susceptibility to cancer.
|