Effect of Ionizing Radiation on Transcriptome during Neural Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells.

Human embryonic brain development is highly sensitive to ionizing radiation. However, detailed information on the mechanisms of this sensitivity is not available due to limited experimental data. In this study, differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) to neural lineages was used as a model for early embryonic brain development to assess the effect of exposure to low (17 mGy) and high (572 mGy) doses of radiation on gene expression.

Effect of Ionizing Radiation from Computed Tomography on Differentiation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells into Neural Precursors.

We studied the effect of radiation from computed tomography (CT) scans on differentiation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) into neuronal lineage. hESCs were divided into three radiation exposure groups: 0-dose, low-dose, or high-dose exposure. Low dose was accomplished with a single 15 mGy CT dose index (CTDI) CT scan that approximated the dose for abdominal/pelvic CT examinations in adults while the high dose was achieved with several consecutive CT scans yielding a cumulative dose of 500 mGy CTDI.