Adaptive response is differently induced depending on the sensitivity to radiation-induced cell death in mouse epidermal cells

We investigated the relationship between induction of radio-adaptive response and cell death in mouse normal and neoplastic epidermal cells. Mouse normal primary keratinocytes (PK), cancer-prone cells [v-ras ^Ha-transfected mouse keratinocytes (ras-PK), and line 308 cells (mouse skin papilloma cells which have activatedras ^Ha gene with A-to-T transversion at codon 61) were primed with a low dose of γ-rays (0.01 Gy), and were challenged with a high dose (4 Gy) after a 4 or 7 h interval. The induction of cell death in PK was 2–10 times higher and was also more rapid in PK than in ras-PK or 308 cells. Low-dose pretreatment with a 4 h interval decreased cell death, and this adaptive response was prominent in PK, whereas it was less obvious in the cases of ras-PK and 308 cells. The response of each protein kinase C (PKC) isozymes to high-dose radiation, especially PKCα, PKCδ, PKCε, and PKCη, were different between the normal andras oncogene-activated neoplastic keratinocytes; translocation of these isozymes to membrane occurred more rapidly in normal than in neoplastic cells. Furthermore, low-dose pretreatment did not induce the translocation of PKCδ in PK significantly more than in ras-PK and 308. Thus, the difference in the induction of radio-adaptive responses between mouse normal and neoplastic epidermal cells reflects difference in the rapidity of cell death, and responsiveness of PKC may affect this adaptive response. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.