Studies on radioresistance with HeLa cells

In our previous experiments (15, 16), HeLa cells were successively irradiated with 1 kR of X-rays. After receiving 3, 5, 8, 11, 14, and 17 kR the iradiated HeLa cells showed progressively increasing radioresistance. In the present paper, the results of studies on the variation of the extrapolation number (n), mean lethal dose (D sub(o)), and quasi-threshold dose (D sub(q)) of survival curves for these radioresistant HeLa strains were reported. The values of n of the original and radioresistant strains were all found between 2 and 3, and a change of the n values with an increase in the total dose received by the cell strains was not noticed. On the other hand, the values of D sub(o) of the radioresistant strains progressively increased from 105 R in the original line to 148 R in the 17 kR strain with increasing doses of pre-irradiation. Similarly, the values of D sub(q) had a tendency to increase in the radioresistant strains. Repair of sublethal damage with the original and radioresistant strains was studied and the properties of the radioresistant strains were discussed. (author)