Neutron radiation is known to produce tumors in animals and cause ceH transformation. We Animal model systems have provided a means by which oncogene activation can be studied in tumors in which the inducing agent and genetic background are well controlled (8,16,21). We have been studying ras oncogene activation in murine thymic lymphomas induced either by the chemical carcinogen N-nitroso-N-methylurea or by gamma radiation and have found activated K-and N-ras genes in a significant proportion of the tumors (7,20). In this study, we wanted to determine the extent of ras oncogene activation in neutroninduced thymic lymphomas in RF/J mice and compare it with our previous analysis of gamma ray-induced thymic lymphomas in the same strain of mouse.Gamma and neutron radiation are two types of ionizing radiation that deliver energy to target molecules in very different ways (13 (23,24). As yet, however, activation of specific oncogenes in neutron-induced tumors or cell transformants has not been described. Biologically significant consequences of the different actions of neutron and gamma radiation can be studied by comparing the activating point mutations of ras oncogenes that result from tumors induced by the different radiation treatments.To determine an optimal dose of neutron radiation that would induce thymic lymphomas with high frequency, we irradiated female RF/J mice (The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, Maine) between 4 and 7 weeks old with a single dose of 0.8, 1.0, 2.0, or 3.0 Gy of whole-body 0.44-MeV neutron radiation. Neutrons were produced from a Van de Graaff particle accelerator. Uniform whole-body neutron irradiation was delivered to mice restrained in Plexiglas cylinders and rotated around the neutron source. To correct for possible fluctuations, after one-half of the dose was administered, the tubes were rotated by 1800. The complete dose was administered in a period of 2 to 6 h. Mice were sacrificed when they appeared visibly ill and had palpable lymph nodes. The only effective dose was 1.0 Gy. All of the mice given 2.0 and 3.0 Gy of neutrons died within 2 weeks from radiation sickness.