Cell Cycle-Dependent Radiosensitivity in Two-Cell Mouse Embryos in Culture

The radiosensitivity in embryo systems varies depending on factors such as genetic background, oxygen environment, developmental stage, and age of the embryo in cell cycle. This paper is concerned with the involvement of cell cycle age in radiosensitivity of two-cell mouse embryos. Thus the doses needed for 50% killing of blastocyst formation in vitro (LD/sub 50/) of X rays for the two-cell mouse embryos in culture were measured during their cell cycle. The cell cycle in the two-cell embryos was quite peculiar; the cell cycle time of 18 h was divided into a long DNA post synthesis phase (G/sub 2/) plus mitosis (M) of 14 h and a short DNA synthesis phase (S) of 4 h. Results indicate that the LD/sub 50/ varies roughly from 100 to 600 rad within the cell cycle. Thus a major factor in determining the sensitivity to ionizing radiation of two-cell mouse embryos in vitro and perhaps in vivo is their position in the cell division cycle at the time of irradiation.