Jo-Anna Dolling

, PhD, FCCMG

Assistant Clinical Professor (Adjunct)
Pathology and Molecular Medicine

Co-Director, Molecular Genetics and Cytogenetics Laboratory

Credit Valley Hospital
Mississauga, Ontario
905-813-4104 ext. 5961
jdolling@cvh.on.ca

Currently accepting Graduate Students
Currently accepting Post-Doctoral Fellows

Education and Professional Standing

FCCMG, Cytogenetics, McMaster University, 2002
PhD, Biology, University of Ottawa, 1998
MSc, Pathology, Queen's University, 1993

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Interests

Research Interests

Adaptive Response

Low doses of radiation have been shown to induce a cellular response that confers resistance from subsequent damage arising from larger radiation exposures. This “adaptive response” has been found in a number of systems including microorganisms, mammalian cells in culture, and live animals. We know that the response is dependent on the presence of a functional homologous recombinational DNA repair system and is inducible by radiation and other DNA damaging agents. It is modulated by the stress protein hsp104 and appears to be independent of cell cycle checkpoints and may result from cellular recognition of changes in DNA topology. While there is extensive evidence for the existence of the adaptive response in cells in culture, and an expanding body of evidence for its existence in whole animals including humans, there are many mechanistic details that remain to be elucidated. This research is carried out in collaboration with Dr. D.R. Boreham at McIARS.

Emergency and Accident Biological Dosimetry for Radiation Risk Assessment

We are part of a national lab cluster that is working together with a variety of Canadian researchers to develop better tools for immediate emergency biological dosimetry, and to develop a National Biological Dosimetry Response Plan for Canada in the event of nuclear or radiological terrorism. We are working to develop methods to assess the long term potential of health risks to the individuals and non-human biota from low dose radiation exposures using modern techniques in molecular cytogenetics for biological dosimetry. These techniques include Fluorescence in situ Hybridization (FISH), Spectral Karyotyping (SKY) and Premature Chromosome Condensation (PCC/FISH). Our research has identified a number of issues concerning radiological health risk assessment after in vivo chronic exposures and the usefulness of these new methods in biological dosimetry. In addition, we have discovered that FISH, SKY, and PCC-FISH have unique attributes that have the potential to contribute to different aspects of our overall understanding of chronic radiation effects and health risk assessment. We are also investigating apoptosis (cell death) in lymphocytes as a potential biological dosimeter for emergency response to radiation exposure.

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Team Members

Research is carried out in collaboration with Dr. D.R. Boreham (Department of Medical Physics & Applied Radiation Sciences) and his team of two technicians, three graduate students and one post-doctoral fellow.

Selected Publications

• D.R. Boreham, B. Ulsh, J-A Dolling, R.E.J. Mitchel, W. Lausoontornsiri, T. Sueblinvong, W. F. Blakely, and P.G.S. Prasanna, 2003. Chromosome Damage in Humans Caused by Whole Body Chronic Gamma-Radiation Exposure in a Radiation Accident, Submitted to Radiation Research
• D.R. Boreham, J-A- Dolling, J. Misonoh, and R.E.J. Mitchel, 2002. Raditaion-Induced Teratogenic Effects in Fetal Mice with Varying Trp53 Function: Influence of Prior Heat Stress, Radiation Research 158(4):449-457
• D.R. Boreham, J-A Dolling, J. Misonoh, and R.E.J. Mitchel, 2002. Teratogenic Effects of Mild Heat Stress During Mouse Embryogenesis: Effect of Trp53, Radiation Research 158(4):443-8
• R.E.J Mitchel, J-A Dolling, J. Misonoh, J-A, M.E. Bahen and D.R. Boreham, 2002. Influence of Prior Exposure to Low Dose Adapting Radiation on Radiation-Induced Teratogenic Effects in Fetal Mice with Varying Trp53 Function, Radiation Research 158(4):458-63
• Role of RAD9-dependent cell cycle checkpoints in the adaptive response to ionizing radiation in yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, J-A. Dolling, D.R. Boreham, M-E. Bahen and R.E.J. Mitchel, Int. J. Radiat. Biol., 76(9), 1273-9 (2000)