Cell kinetic studies on radiation induced leukemogenesis

The purpose of this study was threefold: (1) to determine the clonal origin of radiation-induced thymic lymphoma in mice with cellular mosaicism for phosphoglycerate kinase; (2) to determine the incidence and latent period of myeloid leukemia and thymic lymphoma induced by whole-body exposure to median doses (3.0 Gy or less) in RFM/MsNrs-2 mice; and (3) to examine the influence of human recombinant interleukin-2 (hrIL-2). Thymic lymphoma was of a single cell origin. The incidence of radiation-induced myeloid leukemia and thymic lymphoma in RFM mice increased in a dose dependent fashion. Mean latent periods of both myeloid leukemia and thymic lymphoma after irradiation became shorter in proportion to radiation doses. When hrIL-2 was injected to RFM mice receiving 3.0 Gy, mean survivals were shorter in thymoma-bearing mice than the control mice. This suggested that hrIL-2 shortens the promotion step of thymoma. Administration of hrIL-2 failed to alter the incidence of myeloid leukemia or the mean survival of mice having myeloid leukemia, indicating that the protocol of hrIL-2 administration was not so sufficient as to alter the myeloid leukemogenesis. (Namekawa, K)