Viscosimetric analysis of the occurrence and repair of DNA single-strand breaks in irradiated animal tissues.

The yields of immediate DNA single-strand breaks in normal tumour tissues of irradiated animals were measured by a viscosimetric method of determination of high-polymer single-strand DNA molecular weight in alkaline nuclear lysates. It has been shown that in irradiated thymus, bone marrow leukocytes, Ehrlich ascitic carcinoma and Zaidel hepatoma cells (first group by tissues) in vivo the yields of DNA single-strand breaks were characterized by 80 to 130 eV per break. In in vivo irradiated liver, lymph node, spleen, and sarcoma 180 cells (second group of tissues) the yields of DNA single-strand breaks have been characterized by 30 to 40 eV per break. DNA single-strand breaks of the first group of tissues have rejoined 1 hour after the irradiation in vivo; DNA single-strand breaks of the second group have not done so.