Miho Akiyama

Biodosimetry of restoration workers for the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station accident.

AbstractThe biological dose of nuclear workers engaged in emergency response tasks at Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station was estimated in the present study. As the national core center for radiation emergency medical preparedness in Japan, the National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) received all individuals who were suspected of being overexposed to acute radiation. In the course of health examinations at NIRS, biological dosimetry was performed by the dicentric chromosome assay (DCA). Twelve individuals were examined from 21 March–1 July 2011. The results indicated that the estimated exposure doses for all individuals were lower than 300 mGy, with the mean value of about 101 mGy. These results by DCA were in accordance with those obtained by physical dosimetry based on personal dosimeter recording assessment. The results corroborate the fact that no acute radiation syndrome was observed among the workers examined.

Assessing the applicability of FISH-based prematurely condensed dicentric chromosome assay in triage biodosimetry

AbstractThe dicentric chromosome assay (DCA) has been regarded as the gold standard of radiation biodosimetry. The assay, however, requires a 2-d peripheral blood lymphocyte culture before starting metaphase chromosome analyses to estimate biological doses. Other biological assays also have drawbacks with respect to the time needed to obtain dose estimates for rapid decision on the correct line of medical treatment. Therefore, alternative technologies that suit requirements for triage biodosimetry are needed. Radiation-induced DNA double strand breaks in G0 lymphocytes can be detected as interphase chromosome aberrations by the cell fusion-mediated premature chromosome condensation (PCC) method. The method, in combination with fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) techniques, has been proposed in early studies as a powerful tool for obtaining biological dose estimates without 2-d lymphocyte culture procedures. The present work assesses the applicability of FISH-based PCC techniques using pan-centromeric and telomeric peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probes in triage mode biodosimetry and demonstrates that an improved rapid procedure of the prematurely condensed dicentric chromosome (PCDC) assay has the potential for evaluating exposed radiation doses in as short as 6 h after the collection of peripheral blood specimens.

Construction of a cytogenetic dose-response curve for low-dose range gamma-irradiation in human peripheral blood lymphocytes using three-color FISH

In order to estimate biological doses after low-dose ionizing radiation exposure, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using three differentially colored chromosome painting probes was employed to detect exchange-type chromosome aberrations. A reference dose response curve was constructed using blood samples from a female donor whose lymphocytes consistently exhibited a low frequency of cells at the second mitosis under routine culture conditions. Aberration yields were studied for a total of about 155 thousand metaphases obtained from seven dose-points of gamma irradiations (0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250 and 300mGy). In situ hybridization was performed using commercially available painting probes for chromosomes 1, 2 and 4. With the aid of an automated image-capturing method, exchange-type aberrations involving painted chromosomes were detected with considerable accuracy and speed. The results on the exchange-type aberrations (dicentrics plus translocations) at the seven dose-points showed a good fit to the linear-quadratic model (y=0.0023+0.0015x+0.0819x(2), P=0.83). A blind test proved the reproducibility of the reference dose-response relationship. In the control experiments using blood samples from another donor, the estimated doses calculated on the basis of the present reference curve were proved to be in good agreement with the actual physical doses applied. The present dose-response curve may serve as a means to assess the individual differences in cytogenetical radio-sensitivities.

High-incidence spontaneous tumors in JF1/Ms mice: relevance of hypomorphic germline mutation and subsequent promoter methylation of Ednrb

PurposeJF1/Ms mice, an inbred strain derived from Japanese wild mice, carry a germline hypomorphic mutation in the endothelin receptor type B gene (Ednrb). We observed that the JF1/Ms mice develop various spontaneous tumors at a high incidence late in life. The aim of this study was to elucidate the mechanism responsible for spontaneous tumors in these mice. Possible relevance of milk-borne mammary tumor virus and gene alterations in Ednrb to tumorigenesis was explored.MethodsExpression and methylation status of Ednrb were quantitatively analyzed in normal and cancer tissues of mammary gland, liver, submandibular gland as well as in a cultured cell line, MW1, established from a submandibular gland adenocarcinoma. The biological effects of EDNRB were examined in the MW1 cells transfected with wild-type Ednrb.ResultsTranscripts of Ednrb were barely detectable, and the promoter region of Ednrb was hypermethylated in tumor tissues and the MW1 cells. In contrast, normal counterpart tissues showed positive expression of Ednrb transcripts and had unmethylated promoter regions. Treatment of the MW1 cells with 5-Aza-dC restored transcription of Ednrb to normal levels. Transfection of the MW1 cells with Ednrb1 (MW1-Ednrb1) resulted in lower growth rates and morphological changes compared with the mock-transfected MW1 cells (MW1-mock1). Furthermore, the MW1-Ednrb1 cells transplanted in syngeneic mice showed a lower proliferation rate than the MW1-mock1 cells.ConclusionsGermline mutation and subsequent promoter methylation of Ednrb may be relevant to cancer susceptibility in the JF1/Ms mice. These data indicate that Ednrb acts as a tumor suppressor, as reported in human prostate, bladder, and clear cell renal carcinomas.