Ploidy effect on the radiation reaction of mammalian cells

Summary The chromatid breaking rate induced in the G2 phase was analyzed for the diploid (B14F28) and the tetraploid (B14F28/117) cell line of chinese hamsters. The breaking rate was proportional to the dose. The tetraploid genome produced about double the number of breaks, i.e. in both substrains the same number of aberrations per chromosome was induced.Cysteamine decreased but BUdR increased the breaking rate of both lines by nearly the same factor, the combination of both substances almost counterbalanced their effects. Comparisons were made of the surviving rates of the cells.