A semi-automated micronucleus-centromere assay to assess low-dose radiation exposure in human lymphocytes

Purpose: The in vitro micronucleus (MN) assay is a reliable method to assess radiation-induced chromosomal damage in human peripheral blood lymphocytes. It is used to evaluate in vivo radiation over-exposure and to assess in vitro chromosomal radiosensitivity. A limitation of the MN assay is the relatively high and variable spontaneous MN frequency that restricts low-dose estimation to doses of about 0.3 gray (Gy). As radiation-induced MN mainly contain acentric fragments and spontaneous MN originate from lagging chromosomes, both MN types can be distinguished from each other by using fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) with a pan-centromeric probe. The aim of this study was to investigate if the sensitivity, reliability and processing time of the MN assay can be enhanced by combining the automated MN assay with pan-centromere scoring. Materials and methods: Blood samples from 10 healthy donors were irradiated in vitro with low doses of gamma-rays. Dose response curves were determined for fully-automated and semi-automated MN scoring and semi-automated scoring of centromere negative MN (MNCM-). Results: A good correlation was obtained between fully-automated and semi-automated MN scoring (r