Radioresistance and hypoxic cells

Current progress to explore further understanding of tumor hypoxia was reviewed. At subcellular level, hypoxia induces specific proteins, inhibits DNA synthesis as well as initiation of DNA replicon. Radioresistant characteristics of hypoxic cells is questioned in condition where irradiated cells were kept hypoxia during colony formation. Chronically hypoxic cells recovered from the inner layer of V79 multicellular spheroids are more sensitive to radiation than those from the oxic, outer layer. A novel sandwich culture method, which enables to reoxygenate chronic hypoxia, implies that chronically hypoxic cells are less sensitive to radiation after reoxygenation than oxic cells. For in vivo tumor, two types of tumor hypoxia are reported: diffusion-limited, chronic hypoxia and perfusion-limited, acute hypoxia. Evidence supporting the existence of perfusion-limited hypoxia is provided by an elegant method using vital staining and cell sorter. Data of our own laboratory also implies 2 types of tumor hypoxia; fractional hypoxia and incomplete hypoxia. Fractional hypoxia corresponds to a radioresistant tail on a biphasic tumor cell survival curves while tumors with incomplete hypoxia demonstrate only single component with radioresistant characteristics, instead. (author)