Association Between Hypermethylation of Gene Promoters and Cytogenetic Disturbances in Humans Exposed to Radiation as a Result of the Chernobyl Accident
The estimation of association between hypermethylation of gene promoters (RASSF1A, p16/INK4A, p14/ARF cell cycle genes and GSTP1 involved in xenobiotic detoxification) in blood leukocytes and cytogenetic disturbances in humans exposed to radiation as a result of the Chernobyl accident (98 subjects: the accident liquidators liquidators – 76 subjects, adult residents of the territories with radionuclide contamination, 135–688 kBq/m2 – 22 subjects) was carried out. The results of multiple regression analysis (“frequency of aberrations ~ age + number of hypermethylated genes”) demonstrate the correlation of the total level of chromosomal type aberrations with the considered epigenetic disturbances (β = 0.256; p = 0.011), but not with age (β = –0.138; p = 0.165). The frequency of these cytogenetic disorders increases with the number of methylated loci. Thus, a positive association between the damages of genome induced by radiation exposure (the range of small and medium doses) long time ago, and hypermethylation of CpG-islands in promoters of genes involved in the basic protective functions of cells was revealed.