Low dose irradiation of thyroid cells reveals a unique transcriptomic and epigenetic signature in RET/PTC-positive cells

Khalil Abouelaradat, Pieter Monsieurs, Natasa Anastasov, Mike Atkinson, Hanane Derradji, Tim De Meyer, Sofie Bekaert, Wim Van Criekinge, Sarah Baatout

    Research outputpeer-review

    Abstract

    The high doses of radiation received in the wake of the Chernobyl incident have been linked to the increased appearance of thyroid cancer in the children living in the vicinity of the site. However, the data gathered on the effect of low doses of radiation on the thyroid remain limited. We have examined the genome wide transcriptional response of a culture of TPC-1 human cell line of papillary thyroid carcinoma origin with a RET/PTC1 translocation to various doses (0.0625, 0.5, and 4 Gy) of X-rays and compared it to response of thyroids with a RET/PTC3 translocation and against wild-type mouse thyroids irradiated with the same doses using microarrays. We have found considerable overlap at a high dose of 4 Gy in both RET/PTC-positive systems but no common genes at 62.5 mGy. In addition, the response of RET/PTC-positive system at all doses was distinct from the response of wild-type thyroids with both systems signaling down different pathways. Analysis of the response of microRNAs in TPC-1 cells revealed a radiation-responsive signature of microRNAs in addition to dose-responsive microRNAs. Our results point to the fact that a low dose of X-rays seems to have a significant proliferative effect on normal thyroids.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)27-40
    JournalMutation Research/Fundamental and Molecular Mechanisms of Mutagenesis
    Volume731
    Issue number1-2
    DOIs
    StatePublished - Mar 2012

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