Gene expression of lung tissues in non-human primate (NHP, rhesus macaque) after exposure to thoracic irradiation

Radiation-induced lung injury is a serious health threat to victims of radiological incidents or patients receive radiation in the thorax. Studying the gene expression in lung tissues after radiation exposure helps to understand the mechanism of radiation-induced lung injury. Rhesus macaques were exposed to 9.0 to 12.0 Gy whole thoracic lung irradiation (WTLI) and followed for 180 days. Each animal was euthanized when the pre-determined euthanasia criteria were met or past the 180 days. Lung tissues from the euthanized animals were used for gene expression profiling analysis. n=14 in the decedent group, n=12 in the survivor group, and n=5 in the non-irradiated group.