The adaptive response of peripheral blood lymphocytes to low doses of mutagenic agents in patients with ataxia telangiectasia

The inducible ability of adaptive response by low doses of gamma rays or bleomycin was studied in peripheral blood lymphocytes of healthy donors and in ataxia telangiectasia patients. An adaptive response was found in the lymphocytes of healthy donors pretreated with either gamma rays or bleomycin, however in individuals heterozygous for ataxia only bleomycin was effective. In the two ataxia telangiectasia homozygotes tested no adaptive response was found either after low-dose gamma rays or after bleomycin. The preliminary results indicate that the adaptive response might be infuenced by various factors.