The lower radiosensitivity of mouse kidney cells irradiated in vivo than in vitro: a cell contact effect phenomenon.

For mouse kidney cells assayed in primary culture, the Do and n values were 1.1 +/- 0.06 Gy and 7 +/- 2 for single cells irradiated in vitro, and 1.3 +/- 0.08 Gy and 25 +/- 11 for in vivo irradiation. The lower radiosensitivity in vivo was shown not to be caused by natural hypoxia, as the average oxygen enhancement ratios were 2.6 +/- 0.3 for in vitro and 2.8 +/- 0.4 for in vivo irradiation. Irradiations of fragments of kidney tubules produced similar survivals as irradiations of kidneys in situ, even for irradiation immediately before the fragments were disaggregated into single cells. The critical point of change in radiosensitivity from in vivo to in vitro values due to this contact effect was the time that the kidney cells were monodispersed.