Project description:Acute radiation syndrome (ARS) is a severe condition that develops after exposure to high doses of ionizing radiation that features immune suppression and organ failure. Currently, there are no diagnostics to identify the occurrence or severity of radiation exposure. There are also no current treatments or preventative strategies to mitigate ARS. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are mediators of intercellular communication that contribute to immune dysfunction across diseases. We investigated if EV cargo would be able to identify whole body irradiation (WBIR) exposure and if EVs promote ARS immune dysfunction. We hypothesized that beneficial EVs derived from mesenchymal stem cells (MSC-EVs) would blunt ARS immune dysfunction and might serve as prophylactic radioprotectants. Mice received WBIR (2 or 9 Gy) with assessment of EVs at 3 and 7 days after exposure. LC-MS/MS proteomic analysis of WBIR-EVs found dose-related changes as well as candidate proteins that were increased with both doses and timepoints (34 total) such as Thromboxane-A Synthase and lymphocyte cytosolic protein 2. Suprabasin and Sarcalumenin were increased only after 9 Gy suggesting these proteins may indicate high dose/lethal exposure. Analysis of EV miRNAs identified miR-376 and miR-136, which were increased up to 200- and 60-fold respectively by both levels of WBIR and select miRNAs such as miR-1839 and miR-664 that were increased only with 9 Gy. WBIR-EVs (9 Gy) were biologically active and blunted immune responses to LPS in RAW264.7 macrophages, inhibiting canonical signaling pathways associated with wound healing and phagosome formation. Accordingly, WBIR-EVs also blunted RAW macrophage phagocytosis. When given 3 days after exposure, MSC-EVs slightly modified immune gene expression changes in the spleens of mice in response to WBIR and a combined radiation plus burn injury exposure (RCI). MSC-EVs normalized the expression of certain key immune genes such as NFκBia and Cxcr4 (WBIR), Map4k1, Ccr9 and Cxcl12 (RCI) lowered plasma TNFα cytokine levels after RCI, though most gene changes were not influenced. When given prophylactically (24 and 3 hours before exposure), MSC-EVs prolonged survival to the 9 Gy lethal exposure. Thus, EVs are important participants in ARS. EV cargo might be used to diagnose WBIR exposure, and MSC-EVs might serve as radioprotectants to blunt the impact of toxic radiation exposure.

Project description:While modern radiotherapy technologies can precisely deliver higher doses of radiation to tumors; thus, reducing overall radiation exposure to normal tissues, moderate dose and normal tissue toxicity still remains a significant limitation. The present study profiled the global effects on transcript and miR expression in Human Coronary Artery Endothelial Cells (HCAECs) using single-dose irradiation (SD, 10Gy) or multi-fractionated irradiation (MF, 2Gy x 5) regimens. Longitudinal timepoints were collected after a SD or final dose of MF irradiation for analysis using Agilent Human Gene Expression and miRNA microarray platforms. Compared to SD, the exposure to MF resulted in robust transcript and miR expression changes in terms of the number and magnitude. For data analysis, statistically significant mRNAs (2-fold) and miRs (1.5-fold) were processed by Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) to uncover miRs associated with target transcripts from several cellular pathways post-irradiation. Interestingly, MF radiation induced a cohort of mRNAs and miRs that coordinate the induction of immune response pathway under tight regulation. Additionally, mRNAs and miRs associated with DNA replication, recombination and repair, apoptosis, cardiovascular events and angiogenesis were revealed. Human Coronary Artery Endothelial Cells (HCAECs) were irradiated in a PANTAK high frequency X-ray generator (Precision X-ray Inc., N. Bedford, CT), operated at 300kV and 10MA. The dose rate was 1.6 Gy per min. Cells were plated into T75cm2 flasks (1-1.5 x 10^6 for single dose radiation and 0.6-0.8 x 10^6 for fractionated radiation). After 24h, cells were exposed to a total of 10 Gy radiation administered either as a single-dose radiation (SD), or as multi-fractionated radiation of 2 Gy x 5 (MF). These non-isoeffective doses were selected to simulate clinical hypofractionated and conventionally fractionated radiotherapy regimens. For the MF protocol, cells were exposed to 2 Gy radiation twice a day, at 6h interval. The cells were approximately 90% confluent at the time of harvesting. For both protocols, radiation-induced changes were analyzed at 6h and 24h after a SD and 6h and 24h after the final dose of fractionated irradiation. Separate controls were maintained for SD and MF radiation protocols.

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Gene expression profiling in human fibroblast after low-LET irradiation

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