142 N. N. DOEMIN AND V. D. BLOKHINA 



leads, in particular, to the possibility of a counter-directed develop- 

 ment of some definite reactions in various cell compartments, within 

 and upon its various structures. Hence, the highly important role of 

 topochemical investigations is quite evident. 



It is noteworthy that the functional peculiarities of the cell organelles 

 are determined to a great extent by the lipid-protein complexes which 

 are their components. Therefore, various changes of these complexes 

 as a whole or of their single components, i.e. li])ids or proteins, ought to 

 effect the course of biochemical reactions dependent upon such sub- 

 stances (e.g. by the changes of adsorptive bonds with the enzymes and 

 their substrates and also by the changes of the distribution of charges, 

 and likewise by the changes of the distance between active groups). 



Natm'ally, great attention should also be attached to those shifts 

 observed in the lipid-protein complexes of cell organelles which de- 

 velop as a result of the action of ionizing radiations. 



The action of radiation is accompanied by a series of disturl)ances 

 observed in various biochemical complexes within the cell. First there 

 are changes in the nucleoproteins. In the course of radiation-bio- 

 chemical investigations the more or less pronounced disintegration of 

 complexes was emphasized. 



Sissakian (1055) ])ointed out that the disturl)ance in the co-ordination 

 and in the coupling of the enzymatic processes is one of the primary 

 consequences of radiation injury. It may be basically a result of dis- 

 turbances of the biochemical complexes in the cell microstructures. 

 Kuzin (1055) indicated that irradiation initiated the depolymerization 

 of high-polymer substances constituting such structures. He noted also 

 the disintegration of lipoproteins following irradiation. Possibly 

 various types of alteration in respect of composition and of the dy- 

 namics of the chemical components of tissue and their dislocations at 

 the micromo])hological level are indis])ensibly involved in the mechan- 

 ism of the initial and verv early effects of radiation. 



At our laboratory Ilyina e^ al. (1957) showed that soon after a single 

 X-ray ex})osure (800 r) rats display a transient reduction of the relative 

 lipoprotein content in mitochondria and microsomes of the liver cells. 

 Blokhina (1050a) later established that, in the course of the develop- 

 ment of the radiation disease, a progressive decrease of the lipid content 

 may be observed in the lipoproteins of the liver mitochondria. This 

 evidence pointed also to a certain degree of disintegration of the lipo- 

 protein complexes of the cytoplasmic organelles in the liver cells and 

 to disturl)ances of their resynthesis leading to an altered composition. 

 According to other data obtained l)y Blokhina (1950b) the total lipid 

 content of the mitochondria and microsomes showed an initial increase 



