Reduction in mutation frequency by very low-dose gamma irradiation of Drosophila melanogaster germ cells.

To determine whether the linear no-threshold (LNT) model for stochastic effects of ionizing radiation is applicable to very low-dose radiation at a low dose rate, we irradiated immature male germ cells of the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, with several doses of (60)Co gamma rays at a dose rate of 22.4 mGy/h. Thereafter, we performed the sex-linked recessive lethal mutation assay by mating the irradiated males with nonirradiated females. The mutation frequency in the group irradiated with 500 microGy was found to be significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.01), whereas in the group subjected to 10 Gy irradiation, the mutation frequency was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.03). A J-shaped dose-response relationship was evident. Molecular experiments using DNA microarray and quantitative reverse transcription PCR indicated that several genes known to be expressed in response to heat or chemical stress and grim, a positive regulator of apoptosis, were up-regulated immediately after irradiation with 500 microGy. The involvement of an apoptosis function in the non-linear dose-response relationship was suggested.