Alterations in Gene Expression in Rat Skin Exposed to 56Fe Ions and Dietary Vitamin A Acetate

Abstract Zhang, R., Burns, F. J., Chen, H., Chen, S. and Wu, F. Alterations in Gene Expression in Rat Skin Exposed to 56Fe Ions and Dietary Vitamin A Acetate. Radiat. Res. 165, 570– 581 (2006). The purpose of the present work was to examine gene expression patterns in rat skin exposed to a beam of 56Fe ions, a surrogate for the high-energy, heavy-ion galactic radiation background, as a basis for obtaining a better understanding of the possible mechanism(s) behind the radioprotective activity of vitamin A. A 2 × 4-cm rectangle of dorsal rat skin was exposed to 1.01 GeV/nucleon 56Fe ions generated by the Alternating Gradient Synchrotron at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Gene expression patterns were monitored in either the presence or absence of a 250-ppm dietary supplement of vitamin A acetate in powdered lab chow. Although vitamin A and other retinoids show anti-carcinogenic activity in several animal models, the underlying changes in gene expression have not been examined extensively. At either 1 or 7 d...