Nelson G A, Schubert W W, Marshall T M, Benton E R, Benton E V
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena 91109.
Mutat Res. 1989 Jun;212(2):181-92. doi: 10.1016/0027-5107(89)90070-5.
The nematode C. elegans was used to measure the effectiveness of high-energy ionized particles in the induction of 3 types of genetic lesions. Recessive lethal mutations in a 40-map unit autosomal region, sterility, and X-chromosome nondisjunction or damage were investigated. Induction rates were measured as a function of linear energy transfer, LET infinity, for 9 ions of atomic number 1-57 accelerated at the BEVALAC accelerator. Linear kinetics were observed for all 3 types of lesions within the dose/fluence ranges tested and varied strongly as a function of particle LET infinity. Relative Biological Effectiveness (RBE) values of up to 4.2 were measured and action cross sections were calculated and compared to mutagenic responses in other systems.
