Radiation-induced genomic instability and bystander effects: implications for radiation protection

Evidence has emerged over the past decade for the existence of two cellular phenomenons which challenge the standard paradigms for the induction of biological effects by ionizing radiation. In both cases, important genetic changes arise in cells that in themselves receive no radiation exposure. In the first, radiation induces a type of transmissible genomic instability in cells that leads to a persistent enhancement in the rate at which genetic alterations including mutations and chromosomal aberrations arise in the descendents of the original irradiated cell after many generations of replication. In the bystander effect, damage signals are transmitted from irradiated to non-irradiated cells in the population, leading to the occurrence of biologic effects in these “bystander” cells. In this review, our current knowledge concerning these two phenomena is described and their potential impact on the estimation of risks of low level radiation exposure discussed.