Effects of Ionizing Radiation on Murine Gene Expression in Skin and Bone

    January 2017 in “ NASA Technical Reports Server (NASA) ”
    Masahiro Terada, Ann‐Sofie Schreurs, Yasaman Shirazi‐Fard, Joshua S. Alwood, Candice Tahimic, Marianne B. Sowa, Ruth K. Globus
    TLDR Early changes in skin gene expression can predict later bone mass loss after radiation exposure.
    The study investigated the effects of ionizing radiation on gene expression in mouse skin and bone, focusing on the potential of skin gene expression as a biomarker for radiation exposure effects on skeletal tissue. After total body irradiation, FGF18 expression in skin increased significantly (3.8X) one day post-irradiation but normalized by day 11. In bone, the expression of MCP-1, a pro-bone resorption cytokine, also increased significantly (3.8X) one day post-irradiation. A positive correlation was found between FGF18 expression in skin and MCP-1 expression in bone. Additionally, microcomputed tomography revealed a 21.7% reduction in cancellous bone volume 11 days post-exposure. These findings suggested that early changes in FGF18 expression in skin could predict later bone mass loss.
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