Low-dose γ-irradiation induces dual radio-adaptive responses depending on the post-irradiation time by altering microRNA expression profiles in normal human dermal fibroblasts.

Exposure to high-dose ionizing radiation, including γ-radiation, induces severe skin disorders. However, the biological consequences and molecular mechanisms responsible for the response of human skin to low-dose γ-radiation (LDR) are largely unknown. In the present study, we demonstrate that LDR (0.1 Gy) induces distinct cellular responses in normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs) depending on the post-irradiation time point. A MTT-based cell viability assay and propidium iodide staining-based cell cycle assay revealed that the viability and proportion of the cells in the G2/M phase were differed at 6 and 24 h post-irradiation. Reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) revealed that LDR significantly upregulated the mRNA expression of collagen type I alpha 1 (COL1A1), but downregulated the mRNA expression of matrix metalloproteinase 1 (MMP1) at 24 h post-irradiation. MicroRNA (miRNA) microarray analysis further demonstrated that LDR induced changes in the expression profiles of specific miRNAs and that some of the deregulated miRNAs were specific to either the early or late radio-adaptive response. Our results suggest that LDR generates dual radio-adaptive responses depending on the post-irradiation time by altering specific miRNA expression profiles in NHDFs.