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LIFE01200604005 Shri Somnath Ghosh - Homi Bhabha National ...

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CHAPTER 4<br />

DISCUSSION<br />

regarded as primary regulators of HRR [251]. Presence of BRCA1 foci in ~55% (Fig.3.3.1.5) of<br />

the gamma irradiated cells is in agreement with the previous studies where BRCA1 foci have<br />

been found to be activated only in cells in S, G2/M phases of the cycle [275] and therefore is<br />

thought to play a role in HRR which can take the advantage of the other strand that may be<br />

intact. Unlike after gamma irradiation, presence of BRCA1 foci in all of the carbon irradiated<br />

cells was quite intriguing. Moreover, the downstream substrates, Chk1 (Fig.3.3.1.6A) and Chk2<br />

(Fig.3.3.1.6C) also showed relatively higher activation in carbon irradiated cells as compared to<br />

gamma. Activation of all these repair components with high LET radiation at first indicates<br />

persistent and even more intense activation of repair pathways. However, presence of ATM foci<br />

in only half of carbon irradiated cells while BRCA1 foci in all cells suggest that BRCA1 is<br />

associated with different proteins and may not require activated ATM. The larger size of BRCA1<br />

foci after Carbon irradiation also indicated that macromolecular complexes containing BRCA1<br />

might be different after two types of radiation treatments. Number of Chk2 foci, another<br />

important regulator of HRR, also did not seem to parallel ATM foci. This, along with the fact<br />

that the survival of the cells is only 20% (Fig.3.3.1.1) and many apoptotic nuclei are present at 4<br />

hours (Fig.3.3.1.8) indicates that these macromolecular complexes containing BRCA1 may be<br />

majorly involved in apoptotic responses after a complex damage to the DNA. Recent studies<br />

suggest multifunctional nature of BRCA1 in maintaining genome integrity. It has been shown to<br />

play an important role in apoptosis and cell cycle control and does so by associating in distinct<br />

protein complexes [276].<br />

The cytoplasmic MAPK pathways, ERK and JNK, that feed into and are fed upon by DNA<br />

damage repair signaling also play an equally important role in deciding the fate of the irradiated<br />

cell. Reactive oxygen species generated after gamma irradiation have been thought to be one of<br />

198

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