Fixation and repair by anisotonic treatment of radiation damage leading to oncogenic transformation.

Mouse embryo (C3H 10T1/2) cells were exposed to anisotonic NaCl solutions or combined treatments of radiation and anisotonic solutions. Anisotonic treatment with 0.05 or 0.5 mol/l solutions did not cause transformation and only prolonged exposure at 1.5 mol/l caused significant increases in transformation. When cells were irradiated in the presence of 0.05 mol/l NaCl, increased transformation occurred than when cells were irradiated in medium. Thus, anisotonic treatment after irradiation resulted in fixation of potentially lethal and transformed radiation damage. Fixation of potentially transformed damage was greater for cells irradiated in the presence of 0.05 mol/l NaCl than for cells irradiated in medium. When the NaCl treatment after irradiation was delayed by incubation at 37 degrees C, recovery of potentially lethal and potentially transformed damage was observed.