A lifelong, wide-range radiation biodosimeter: Erythrocytes with transferrin receptors

Rats exposed to 0.1-600 cGy x-rays developed significantly prolonged increases (1.9-11%) of normoblasts (red cell precursors) in the bone marrow as well as a subpopulation of transferrin receptor marked erythrocytes (E-Tr, 1.9-20%) in the blood. Several characteristics are shared in common by these two progenies of the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC): a heretofore unrecognized dose-response curve extending from 0.1-600 cGy composed of logarithmic and quadratic dose response segments, the joining of the segments at approximately 150 cGy, and an identical 29-wk period for one-half repair of the quantified cell damage. This suggests that both of these cells could be surrogates for assessing radiation injury. Preliminary findings suggest that this phenomenon is identifiable in humans.