Background: The existence of a radiation bystander effect, in which non-irradiated cells respond to signals from irradiated cells, is now well established. It raises concerns for the interpretation of risks arising from exposure to low doses of ionizing radiation. However, the regulatory mechanisms involved in the bystander response have not been well elucidated. To provide insight into the signaling pathways responding in bystanders, we have measured global gene expression four hours after bystander and direct alpha particle exposure of primary human lung fibroblasts.
Results: Although common p53-regulated radiation response genes like CDKN1A were expressed at elevated levels in the directly exposed cultures, they showed little or no change in the bystanders. In contrast, genes regulated by NFkappaB, such as PTGS2 (cyclooxygenase-2), IL8 and BCL2A1, responded nearly identically in bystander and irradiated cells. This trend was substantiated by gene ontology and pathway analyses of the microarray data, which suggest that bystander cells mount a full NFkappaB response, but a muted or partial p53 response. In time-course analyses, quantitative real-time PCR measurements of CDKN1A showed the expected 4-hour peak of expression in irradiated but not bystander cells. In contrast, PTGS2, IL8 and BCL2A1 responded with two waves of expression in both bystander and directly irradiated cells, one peaking at half an hour and the other between four and six hours after irradiation.
Conclusion: Two major transcriptional hubs that regulate the direct response to ionizing radiation are also implicated in regulation of the bystander response, but to dramatically different degrees. While activation of the p53 response pathway is minimal in bystander cells, the NFkappaB response is virtually identical in irradiated and bystander cells. This alteration in the balance of signaling is likely to lead to different outcomes in irradiated cells and their bystanders, perhaps leading to greater survival of bystanders and increased risk from any long-term damage they have sustained.