Recent studies have demonstrated that the early response genes c-jun, Egr-1, c-fos, and
NFKB are induced following exposure of mammalian cells to ionizing radiation. We propose
that the products of these early response genes regulate downstream genes that are
important in the adaptation of cells and tissues to radiation-induced stress. Potential
downstream targets include cytokine and growth factor genes as well as deoxyribonucleic
acid (DNA) repair genes. Early response gene products may also regulate cell cycle …