The shapes of the radiation dose-mutation response curves in drosophila: Mechanisms and implications

This chapter proposes that radiation induced mutations, namely sex-linked recessive lethals in Drosophila and forward mutations at specific loci in Drosophila, mammals and lower eucaryotes, are the result of two sub-lesions or hits, induced by either single ionization tracks or by the interaction of two independent tracks for low LET radiations, when the dose is delivered in an acute fashion. Utilizes the well recognized linear quadratic expression Y=C+αD+βD2, where C is the spontaneous frequency of events scored and α and β represent the coefficients of the dose. Concludes that for low LET radiations, X or gamma rays, the linear-quadratic model can be used to predict the genetic response of germ cells and somatic cells to a variety of radiation regimes. Points out that the point of inflection in the curve, α/β value, can be determined specifically by target dimensions which vary with respect to DNA content. Considers the difference in RBE values observed for different species to be a reflection of their different target sizes