Department of Biology Education, Korea National University of Education, Cheongju-si, Chungbuk 28173, Korea
Sungmin Lee
Department of Integrated Biological Science, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Korea
Danbi Seo
Department of Science Education, Korea National University of Education, Cheongju-si, Chungbuk 28173, Korea
Dain Kim
Department of Science Education, Korea National University of Education, Cheongju-si, Chungbuk 28173, Korea
Kyeongmin Kim
Department of Integrated Biological Science, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Korea
EunGi Kim
Department of Integrated Biological Science, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Korea
JiHoon Kang
Department of Integrated Biological Science, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Korea
Ki Moon Seong
Laboratory of Low Dose Risk Assessment, National Radiation Emergency Medical Center, Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, Seoul 01812, Korea
HyeSook Youn
Department of Integrative Bioscience and Biotechnology, Sejong University, Seoul 05006, Korea
BuHyun Youn
Department of Integrated Biological Science, Pusan National University, Busan 46241, Korea
Radiotherapy is one of the major cancer treatment strategies. Exposure to penetrating radiation causes cellular stress, directly or indirectly, due to the generation of reactive oxygen species, DNA damage, and subcellular organelle damage and autophagy. These radiation-induced damage responses cooperatively contribute to cancer cell death, but paradoxically, radiotherapy also causes the activation of damage-repair and survival signaling to alleviate radiation-induced cytotoxic effects in a small percentage of cancer cells, and these activations are responsible for tumor radio-resistance. The present study describes the molecular mechanisms responsible for radiation-induced cellular stress response and radioresistance, and the therapeutic approaches used to overcome radioresistance.
