Abstract:
The aim of this work was to analyze the relationship between polymorphisms of DNA repair gene XPD Lys751Gln and frequency
and spectrum of chromosome aberrations in the culture of peripheral blood lymphocytes of thyroid cancer (TC) patients having
been exposed to ionizing radiation due to the Chornobyl accident. Materials and Methods: XPD Lys751Gln polymorphisms were
detected by polymerase chain reaction in 102 TC patients including 38 patients exposed to ionizing radiation due to Chornobyl
disaster (Chornobyl recovery workers, evacuees, and the residents of contaminated areas), 64 patients without history of ionizing
radiation exposure and 45 healthy residents of Ukraine as control group. Results: In homozygous carriers of the minor allele XPD
Gln751Gln, exposed to ionizing radiation, the significantly increased risk of TC (odds ratio = 3.66; p = 0.03; 95% confidence
interval 1.04–12.84) was found. Among evacuees and residents of contaminated areas, homozygous carriers of the minor allele
variants of XPD gene were characterized by the high level of spontaneous chromosome aberrations. TC patients without history
of ionizing radiation exposure, being homozygous carriers of the allele XPD Lys751Lys, had significantly reduced frequency
of chromosome-type aberrations. Conclusions: The carriage of homozygous minor allele of DNA repair gene XPD Gln751Gln
is a risk factor for TC in persons from Ukrainian population exposed to ionizing radiation and is associated with the increased
levels of chromosomal instability. This article is a part of a Special Issue entitled “The Chornobyl Nuclear Accident: Thirty Years
After”.
