Identification of Potential mRNA Biomarkers in Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes for Human Exposure to Ionizing Radiation

Abstract Amundson, S. A., Do, K. T., Shahab, S., Bittner, M., Meltzer, P., Trent, J. and Fornace, A. J., Jr. Identification of Potential mRNA Biomarkers in Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes for Human Exposure to Ionizing Radiation. Since early in the Atomic Age, biological indicators of radiation exposure have been sought, but currently available methods are not entirely satisfactory. Using cDNA microarray hybridization to discover new potential biomarkers, we have identified genes expressed at increased levels in human peripheral blood lymphocytes after ex vivo irradiation. We recently used this technique to identify a large set of ionizing radiation-responsive genes in a human cell line (Oncogene 18, 3666–3672, 1999). The present set of radiation markers in peripheral blood lymphocytes was identified 24 h after treatment, and while the magnitude of mRNA induction generally decreased over time, many markers were still significantly elevated up to 72 h after irradiation. In all donors, the most highly responsi...