Modulation of NF-κB in rescued irradiated cells

Studies by different groups on the rescue effect, where unirradiated bystander cells mitigated the damages in the irradiated cells, since its discovery by the authors’ group in 2011 were first reviewed. The properties of the rescue effect were then examined using a novel experimental set-up to physically separate the rescue signals from the bystander signals. The authors’ results showed that the rescue effect was mediated through activation of the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) response pathway in the irradiated cells, and that the NF-κB activation inhibitor BAY-11-7082 did not affect the activation of this response pathway in the irradiated cells induced by direct irradiation.