Ask AI: Why cells from AT patients are sensitive to ionizing radiation?

Cells from AT (Ataxia-Telangiectasia) patients are sensitive to ionizing radiation because AT is a genetic disorder that affects the repair mechanisms of DNA breaks caused by ionizing radiation. In healthy individuals, cells can detect and repair DNA damage with the help of proteins such as ATM (Ataxia-Telangiectasia Mutated), which plays a key role in repairing double-stranded DNA breaks. However, individuals with AT have a mutation in the ATM gene, which results in a dysfunctional protein that is unable to repair DNA breaks caused by ionizing radiation. This leads to DNA damage accumulation and cell death, which ultimately causes the characteristic symptoms of the disease, including neurodegeneration, immune deficiency, and increased susceptibility to cancer.