Microarray gene expression analysis Highlights Different Profiles in Whole Blood Samples X-Irradiated with Low and High Doses

Due to the inter-individual variability, understanding, the biological responses after exposure to low doses of ionizing radiation is challenging; in particular, low dose effects are of great importance in view of the increased individual medical radiation exposure. In this study, we compared gene expression profiles of whole blood samples incubated 8 hours after x-ray exposure to low and high doses (0.05 Gy and 1 Gy). Aliquots of peripheral blood were exposed to 0, 0.05, or 1 Gy X-rays After irradiation, blood was incubated for 8 hours at 37°C in a humidified incubator with 5% CO2. After sample collection, RNA was isolated and prepared for microarray gene expression experiments. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) were used for the analysis of the data generated. In contrast to high doses, we found that a low dose of 0.05 Gy showed a higher ranking of inflammatory pathways that are involved in both the response and/or the secretion of growth factors, chemokines, and cytokines. On the other hand, there was enrichment of classical radiation response pathways at 1 Gy, like tumor suppressor protein 53, apoptosis, DNA damage and repair.