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We describe the experiments which permitted us to construct a quantitative model of a stimulating action of the external penetrating radiation upon cell division. We assume that there is a period within a cell cycle during which a cell already sensibilized by the previous processes still has to wait for a certain external trigger for its division. Most of our experiments have been made on the highly diluted cultures of infusoria (Colpoda), which were either screened to the different extents from the external radioactive radiation or on the contrary exposed to the different dozes of the radiation. By measuring the dose dependence of a cell cycle time and by evaluating the fraction of energy absorbed by a single cell we could calculate the amount of energy required by a single cell for triggering its division. It turned to be about 5 eV, thus corresponding to 250 nm wave-length. That perfectly coincides the wave-length of A.G.Gurwitsch mitogenetic radiation. We have found also that the whole amount of this energy is transmitted to a cell as a single portion, i.e. without being dissipated into smaller quanta. That permits to interpret a stochastic mode of cell division triggering (Alberts et al., 1994) without implying the existence of somehow ambiguous «trigger proteins».

The model predicts also that the lag period for cell division triggering should be proportional to the cell volume. This prediction has been approved. In another set of experiments with the use of liver tissue, we have also demonstrated that the normally observed correlation between the mitotic index, average concentration of cell nuclei and the average nuclei diameter is largely disturbed by an ultraweak radioactive irradiation of the object: no more correlation is taking place under these conditions.

The data obtained can be used in agriculture (incubation of chicken embryos) for increasing the mass and the viability of the product.
 

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