The Influence of Ras Oncogene Expression on Radiation Response in the Rat-1 Cell

Abstract

We evaluated the effect of H-ras oncogene expression on resistance to ionizing radiation in cultured rat fibroblasts. The Rat-1 cell line, and two Rat-1 derivatives, MR4 and MR7, carrying a Zn-regulatable metallothionein-rasT24 fusion gene were used to study the effects of the ras oncogene on radiation sensitivity. Cells were irradiated with a ¹³⁷Cs source (450 cGY/min) in the presence or absence of ZnSO₄. Multiple cell survival studies did not show an appreciable difference in sensitivity to radiation among the lines in the presence or absence of ras oncogene expression.