Cellular automaton-based model for radiation-induced bystander effects

Hattori, Yuya; Yokoya, Akinari; Watanabe, Ritsuko

The radiation-induced bystander effect is a biological response observed in non-irradiated cells surrounding an irradiated cell, which is known to be caused by two intercellular signaling pathways. However, the behavior of the signals is largely unknown. To investigate the role of these signaling pathways, we developed a mathematical model to describe the cellular response to direct irradiation and the bystander effect, with a particular focus on cell-cycle modification. The analysis of model dynamics revealed that bystander effect on cell cycle modification was different between low-dose irradiation and high-dose irradiation. We demonstrated that signaling through both pathways induced cell cycle modification via the bystander effect. By simulating various special and temporal conditions of irradiation and cell characteristics, our model will be a powerful tool for the analysis of the bystander effect.