The fusion radiosensitivity of differentiating chick embryo myoblasts in vitro is not determined by the plasma membrane.

We have recently demonstrated by dielectric relaxation studies in the radiofrequency range that the sharp drop in the conductivity and permittivity of the membranes of chick embryo myoblasts in vitro, representative of fusion, is either delayed or completely blocked by sublethal doses of ionizing radiation (Santini et al. 1990a). The lowest of the doses investigated (3.25 Gy) caused a 10 h delay in myoblast membrane fusion when the cells were exposed at 24 h of culture, indicating that radiation-induced membrane injury had occurred. The purpose of this study was to determine if the myoblast system under investigation shows the same radiosensitive characteristics if irradiated with 3.25 Gy at various stages of differentiation. Consequently, the myoblasts were exposed to this dose at two different stages of differentiation (12 h or 48 h of culture). We show here that the time at which the myogenic cells are irradiated (state of differentiation) does not seem to affect the magnitude of the fusion delay (which was used as a measure of radiosensitivity of the myoblasts). In fact, the sharp drop in both membrane conductivity and membrane permittivity occurs with the same 10 h delay independent of the time of exposure. The role played by the plasma membrane in determining myoblast response to radiation damage is discussed.