The effect of track structure on the induction of chromosomal aberrations in murine cells

Purpose: To measure chromosome aberrations in C3H 10T1/2 mouse fibroblasts using FISH painting at the first mitosis following exposure to 30 keV/mu m hydrogen or neon ions. Materials and methods: Cells in plateau-phase were irradiated with 0.86 MeV protons at the TTT-3 Tandem accelerator in Naples (Italy), or with 400 MeV/n Ne ions at the HIMAC accelerator in Chiba (Japan). Colcemid-blocked cells were harvested at the first mitosis following exposure, and chromosome spreads were hybridized in situ with a fluorescein-labelled composite mouse DNA probe specific for chromosomes 2 and 8. Results: Protons were more efficient than neon ions at the same LET in the induction of chromosome interchanges and breaks. Yields of complex exchanges were similar for both particles at the same dose, but protons produced mostly insertions, while with Ne exposure non-reciprocal exchanges were the most frequent complex-type exchange. Conclusions: Charged particles with the same LET produce different yields of chromosome aberrations, and some observed differences can be explained based on the available track-structure models.