Strain-related differences and radiation quality effects on mouse leukocytes: gamma-rays and protons (with and without aluminum shielding)

Increasing evidence indicates that radiation-induced genomic instability plays an important role in the development of cancer. However, radiation quality and genetic background can influence the outcome. The goal of this study was to quantify radiation-induced changes in lymphocyte populations in mouse strains known to differ in susceptibility to genomic instability (C57BL/6, resistant; CBA/Ca, susceptible). The effects of whole-body exposure to γ-rays and protons, with and without aluminum shielding, were compared. Total radiation doses of 0, 0.1, 0.5, and 2.0 Gy were delivered and subsets of mice from each group were euthanized on days 1 and 30 after exposure for spleen and bone marrow analyses. In the spleen on day 1, lymphocyte counts were decreased (p