Patil M S, Pradhan D S, Sreenivasan A
Int J Radiat Biol Relat Stud Phys Chem Med. 1975 Apr;27(4):363-70. doi: 10.1080/09553007514550331.
Studies were carried out to elucidate the mechanism underlying the impairment in RNA synthesis in the rat thymus after whole-body exposure to X-rays (1000 rad). The ability of thymus nuclei to catalyse RNA polymerization in vitro was adversely affected in irradiated rats. Further experiments showed that whole-body irradiation caused a considerable decrease in both the activity of RNA polymerase and the template efficiency of chromatin but not in that of DNA isolated from chromatin. These radiation-induced changes in transcription seem to arise partly from the direct effect of radiation on the thymus itself and partly from the abscopal mechanism(s).
