Effects of high energy X-rays on cell morphology and functions

The characterization of cytoskeleton properties could be a very important diagnostic tool with which to better understand the tumourigenic mechanisms. Here we have consolidated our previous findings as to how high energy X-ray — which are ordinarily employed in radiotherapy — can modify the structure and the activity of the cell cytoskeleton. We studied the effects over time (24 and 72 h) of two different doses of X-rays (1 and 2 Gray) on proliferation, spreading, focal adhesions, migration and mechanical properties of BALB/c3T3 and SV40 transformed BALB/c3T3 cells. We observed that X-rays induced a sensitive increase of transformed cell adhesion, responsible of the decrease of migratory ability and the enhancement of the mechanical properties of SVT2 cells. On the contrary, the effects of X-rays on BALB/c3T3 properties were negligible.