EXPRESSION OF CELL CYCLE GENES IN THE IN-UTERO EXPOSED TECHA RIVER RESIDENTS

Abstract BACKGROUND: The intrauterine period of development of the body is the most sensitive to the action of ionizing radiation. Although the effects of prenatal radiation exposure remain poorly understood, it is assumed that antenatal irradiated organisms constitute a risk group for the development of long-term somatic-stochastic effects of radiation exposure. AIM: The aim of this study was to analyze the expression of mRNA of cell cycle genes (TP53, MDM2, CDKN1a, ATM) in the long-term in individuals exposed to chronic radiation exposure on the Teche River during intrauterine development. METHODS: The study was conducted more than 60 years after the onset of chronic radiation exposure in 170 people. Of these, 54 people were exposed in the prenatal and postnatal periods of development, 80 people were exposed to chronic radiation after birth. The comparison group included 36 people living in similar socio-economic conditions, with an accumulated dose of red bone marrow radiation not exceeding 70 mGr for the entire period of life. RESULTS: It has been shown that in the long-term period, residents of the coastal villages of the Techa River, exposed during the periods of antenatal and postnatal development, there is a decrease in the relative mRNA content of the MDM2 and CDKN1a genes compared to the comparison group and people whose chronic radiation exposure occurred after birth. The results of the correlation analysis indicate that there is no dependence of changes in the mRNA expression of the studied genes on the amount of accumulated absorbed dose of intrauterine and postnatal exposure of red bone marrow in the examined people. CONCLUSION: It can be assumed that a decrease in the transcriptional activity of the MDM2 and CDKN1a genes in persons exposed to chronic radiation exposure in the prenatal period may play a role in the development of long-term effects of radiation exposure in humans.