Radiation sensitivity of organisms of different organization level: an approach including DNA strand breakage

The mean numbers of DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) suggested to be necessary to lead to the loss of reproductive capacity are compared with bacteriophages, bacteria, and cells of the Chinese hamster after the influence of several radiation qualities. The results suggest that the critical target for the inactivating action of radiations may not be the entire DNA of all organisms but a structure unit of it designed as membrane-attached super structure unit. With organisms having only one of these structures (bacteria) the inactivation probability of one DSB will be near unity, with their multiplication in higher cells it will become lower. This means, eukaryotic cells are able to tolerate more DSB before being inactivated than organisms of a lower organization level, and consequently are more ''lesion resistant''. This behavior represents an evolutionary stabilization of higher cells towards the lethal action of severe DNA lesions such as DSB. (author)