Analysis of gene co-expression networks in skin cells exposed to different doses of ionising radiation at different time points

Most studies have analysed the effects of high dose radiation such as atomic bomb survivors in Japan, people exposed during the Chernobyl nuclear accident, patients undergoing radiation therapy, uranium miners, etc. However, it has been difficult to measure and assess the risk of cancer in people exposed to lower doses of ionising radiation, such as the people living at high altitudes, who are exposed to more natural background radiation from cosmic rays than people at sea level. We measured the genomic response to X-ray ionising radiation (10 cGy and 100 cGy) in a skin tissue model to compare the effects of low and high dose ionising radiation at different time points. The microarray data was then analysed using state-of-the art “upside-down pyramid” computational systems biology methods to identify genes contributing to the difference in the response to the different radiation doses. The model is reconstructed skin tissue, which is composed of keratinocytes that make up the epidermal layer, and fibroblasts that make up the dermal layer of the skin. Tissues were irradiated with 0, 10, and 100 cGy X-ray radiation. Skin plugs were harvested at 0, 3, 8, and 24 hours post irradiation.