Alteration of genome-wide DNA methylation in non-uranium miners induced by high level radon exposure

In China, according to statistics about underground non-uranium mine radon levels, 15% exceed the national standard intervention level of 1000 Bq/m3, and some mines may exceed 10,000 Bq/m3. The relationship between radon exposure in underground miners and lung cancer has already been established, but the mechanisms and biological processes underlying it are poorly understood. In order to identify the genome-wide DNA methylation profile associated with long-term radon exposure, we performed the Infinium Human Methylation 850 K BeadChip measurement in whole blood samples obtained from 15 underground non-uranium miners and 10 matched aboveground control workers. Radon concentrations in the air of workplaces and living environments were measured by CR-39 radon detectors, and annual effective doses were calculated using the detection data. Under the high radon concentration with an average value of 12,700 Bq·m−3, a total of 165 significant differentially methylated positions (127 hypermethylated sites and 38 hypomethylated sites) annotated to 71 genes were identified in underground miners (|Δβ| ≥ 0.10, p