Open AccessThe effects of X-rays upon mitotic cell division in tissue culturesin Vitro
Author(s) -
T. S. P. Strangeways,
F. L. Hopwood
Publication year - 1926
Publication title -
proceedings of the royal society of london. series b, containing papers of a biological character
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2053-9185
pISSN - 0950-1193
DOI - 10.1098/rspb.1926.0050
Subject(s) - mitosis , in vitro , cell division , tissue culture , biology , microbiology and biotechnology , cell , chemistry , genetics
The great majority of investigations on the effects of X-radiations on animal cells have been made under such conditions that the direct effects on the cell could not be separated from the indirect effects due to the reaction of the organism as a whole. The object of the experiments recorded in this communication was to investigate the direct action of X-radiation on cells when these reaction effects had been eliminated by using tissues grownin vitro . Special attention was directed (A) to investigating the effect of X-radiation upon cells in mitosis and upon cells about to divide; (B) to the question whether the effect of a given dose of X-radiation upon such cells is in any way dependent upon the quality of the rays. In a previous communication (1) it was shown that when a tissue culturein vitro in which cell division is active is subjected to small doses of X-rays, a decrease in the number, and with somewhat larger doses a practically complete disappearance, of cells in normal mitosis was noted. These earlier experiments have been confirmed and extended. This inhibitory effect upon mitosis probably represents the most delicate and reliable test we have of biological response to irradiation, and for this reason has been adopted as the basis of the investigations here recorded.