Changes in nucleoid viscosity following X-irradiation of rat thymic and splenic cells in vitro

In the present investigations, damage and repair of DNA supercoiling was measured in T- and S-cells following X-irradiation in vitro by using the nucleoid sedimentation technique and a simplified low-shearing viscometric test. - X-irradiation resulted in a dose(0.6-19.2 Gy)-dependent reduction in sedimentation and viscosity of nucleoids. Within a post-irradiation period of 30-45 min after a challenge dose of 19.2 Gy, DNA repair was accompanied by an increase in nucleoid sedimentation and viscosity in T-cells by about 60 and 300, in S-cells by almost 40 and 100%, resp. The increase in nucleoid viscosity within a 30 min repair period could be reduced in a concentration-dependent manner by DNA polymerase-inhibitors and proteinase K. - The higher DNA repair capacity of T-cells as reflected by UDS is confirmed therefore by the nucleoid characteristics. A part from this suggestion, measuring nucleoid viscosity may be considered as a sensitive, simple and rapid device to detect radiation-induced DNA supercoiling phenomena. (orig./MG)