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The Association between Hypermethylation of Gene Promoters and Cytogenetic Disturbances in Humans Exposed to Radiation as a Result of the Chernobyl Accident

  • STUDY OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE ACCIDENT AT THE CHERNOBYL NUCLEAR POWER PLANT: 35th ANNIVERSARY
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Abstract—

The estimation of hypermethylation of the cell cycle (RASSF1A, p16/INK4A, p14/ARF) and detoxification (GSTP1) gene promoters was carried out in blood leukocytes of humans exposed to radiation as a result of the Chernobyl accident (98 individuals: accident liquidators, 76 individuals; adult residents of the territories with radionuclide contamination, 135–688 kBq/m2, 22 individuals) depending on their cytogenetic status. The results of multiple regression analysis (“Frequency of aberrations ~ age + number of hypermethylated genes”) indicate a correlation of the total level of chromosomal type aberrations with the considered epigenetic disturbances (β = 0.256; р = 0.011), but not with age (β = –0.138; p = 0.165). The frequency of these cytogenetic disorders increases with an increase in the number of methylated loci. Thus, a positive association between the damages to the genome induced by radiation exposure in the range of small and medium doses (long time ago) and hypermethylation of promoters of the genes of the main protective systems of the cells was detected.

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Funding

The estimation of methylation in half of the liquidators of the Chernobyl accident examined (all of Russian nationality), generalization of the results obtained, and the analysis of epigenetic indices depending on the cytogenetic status were conducted as part of an event of the Scientific and Technical Program of the Union State “Development of Innovative Genogeographic and Genomic Technologies of Personal Identification and Human Individual Peculiarities based on Studying the Gene Pools in Regions of the Union State” (“DNA Identification”), state contract no. 011-17 of September 26, 2017.

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  1. Vavilov Institute of General Genetics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia

    N. S. Kuzmina, N. Sh. Lapteva & A. V. Rubanovich

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  1. N. S. Kuzmina
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  2. N. Sh. Lapteva
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  3. A. V. Rubanovich
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Correspondence to N. S. Kuzmina.

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Statement of compliance with standards of research involving humans as subjects. All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants involved in the study.

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Translated by A. Barkhash

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Kuzmina, N.S., Lapteva, N.S. & Rubanovich, A.V. The Association between Hypermethylation of Gene Promoters and Cytogenetic Disturbances in Humans Exposed to Radiation as a Result of the Chernobyl Accident. Biol Bull Russ Acad Sci 48, 2099–2104 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1062359021120086

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