Title: The radiation-induced ATM nucleoshuttling model as a unified mechanistic explanation for adaptive response, hormesis and hypersensitivity to low dose phenomena

Authors: Clement Devic; Larry Bodgi; Nicolas Foray

Addresses: Inserm U1296 Unit "Radiation: Defense, Health and Environment", Centre Léon-Bérard, 28 Rue Laennec, 69008, Lyon, France ' Department of Radiation Oncology, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut 1107-2020, Lebanon; Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiological Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut 1107-2020, Lebanon ' Inserm U1296 Unit "Radiation: Defense, Health and Environment", Centre Léon-Bérard, 28 Rue Laennec, 69008, Lyon, France

Abstract: Understanding and describing the radiobiological effects induced by low-dose ionising radiation is becoming a scientific, medical and societal issue. To date, three main consequences of low doses have been described in the literature: adaptive response, hormesis and hypersensitivity to low dose. The purpose of this review is to propose a unified mechanistic explanation for these three low-dose-specific phenomena, based on the radiation-induced nucleoshuttling of the ATM protein, a model that was initially developed with high-dose data. The impact of individual radiosensitivity was also discussed.

Keywords: low-dose effects; adaptive response; hormesis; hypersensitivity to low doses; ATM; radiosensitivity.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLR.2025.154398

International Journal of Low Radiation, 2025 Vol.12 No.1, pp.1 - 11

Received: 15 Jun 2020
Accepted: 16 Jul 2021
Published online: 26 Jun 2026 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article