Methylation Status of Apoptosis Genes and Intensity of Apoptotic Death of Peripheral Blood Lymphocytes in Persons Chronically Exposed to Radiation

Methylation of the CpG islands of gene promoter regions is the most common epigenetic modification involved in the regulation of gene expression. A number of studies have shown that ionizing radiation can cause both hyper- and hypomethylation of DNA. Aberrant methylation affects cellular processes and can lead to the development of various pathological states. In the literature, there are few studies on the methylation status of human DNA a long time after radiation exposure. Here, the methylation level of CpG islands of the promoter regions of apoptosis genes ( BCL2 , ATM , MDM2 , CDKN1A , STAT3 , and NFKB1 ), and also its influence on apoptosis of peripheral blood lymphocytes in chronically exposed persons were studied. Residents of the South Ural region who were chronically exposed to radiation (after discharges of radioactive wastes into the Techa river by the “Mayak Production Association” in 1949‒1956) were included in the study. It was established that the proportion of individuals with hypermethylated BCL2 gene promoter among the exposed people was statistically significantly higher than in the control group. The percentage of methylation of the ATM gene promoter weakly positively correlated with dose and age characteristics. Differences in the frequency of lymphocyte apoptosis in exposed individuals with a hypo- or hypermethylated ATM gene promoter were also established. The data indicate that, in the long-term, after chronic low intensity radiation exposure at low and medium doses, epigenetic modifications of the genome occur, which are manifested as changes in methylation of promoter regions of BCL2 and ATM genes.