https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-025-06265-5
Regular Article
Microbeam irradiation reveals cytoplasmic damage contributes to micronuclei induction
1
Institute for Radiological Science, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inageku, 263-8555, Chiba, Japan
2
Hefei Institute of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of China
3
Institute for Quantum Medical Science, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Chiba, Japan
4
QST Hospital, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, Chiba, Japan
5
Department of Radiology, Chiba University Hospital, 1-8-1 Inohana, Chuo-Ku, 260-8677, Chiba, Japan
6
Department of Radiological Technology, Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hirosaki University, 66-1 Hon-Cho, Hirosaki-Shi, 036-8564, Aomori, Japan
7
Graduate School of Science, Rikkyo (St. Paul’s) University, 3-34-1 Nishi-Ikebukuro, Toshima-Ku, 171-8501, Tokyo, Japan
Received:
28
December
2024
Accepted:
26
March
2025
Published online:
23
April
2025
Microbeam technology offers a valuable tool for investigating inter- and intracellular responses to radiation-induced damage. This study investigated the contribution of cytoplasmic irradiation to micronuclei (MN) induction using proton microbeams. Three irradiation conditions were employed: (N) nucleus-only, (C) cytoplasm-only, and (N + C) irradiating both. In N + C, 1000 protons were delivered to the cytoplasm. For both N and N + C, MN induction increased proportionally with nuclear proton dose (Np) within the 0 ≤ Np ≤ 100 range. However, the N + C slope was 2/3 of the N slope. N cells exhibited peak MN induction at 150 protons, while N + C peaked at 300 protons. Cytoplasmic irradiation alone also induced MNs, but with a lower slope and reaching a plateau after Np = 300. These results demonstrate that cytoplasmic damage not only contributes to MN induction but also appears to promote protective cellular responses. This highlights the complex interplay between cellular organelles during radiation exposure and emphasizes the importance of considering cytoplasmic contributions to cellular radioresistance.
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© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2025
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
