Abstract
Purpose
We herein report on changes in gene expression after radiation exposure to iodine-131 from the Chernobyl accident in the Ukrainian-American thyroid cohort and to external gamma ray or internal plutonium exposure in the Mayak Production Association radiation workers.
Materials and methods
Taking advantage of access to tissue samples from the thyroid cancer cases in the Ukrainian-American cohort, our group tried to identify candidate genes to discriminate spontaneously occurring thyroid cancers from thyroid cancers caused by radiation exposure. We also examined gene expression changes in normal and cancerous thyroid tissue in relation to iodine-131 dose separately. Gene expression changes in the peripheral blood of radiation exposed Mayak workers were examined to elucidate the dose-to-gene and gene-to-health (e.g. cardiovascular disease) relationships.
Conclusions
Results of both projects are discussed under the aspect of dose-response relationships (dose-to-gene) and clinical outcome relationships (gene-to-effect) in light of how mechanistic data can be translated into actionable knowledge for radiation protection or clinical purposes.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Michael Abend
Michael Abend, MD, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Radiobiology and a MSc in Epidemiology. He is a Senior Researcher as well as Deputy Head of the Bundeswehr Institute of Radiobiology, Genomics I, Munich, Germany.
Ruth M. Pfeiffer
Ruth M. Pfeiffer, PhD, MSc, MA, is a tenured senior investigator in the Biostatistics Branch of the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics (DCEG), National Cancer Institute (NCI), Rockville, Maryland, USA.
Matthias Port
Matthias Port, MD, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Radiobiology. He is a Senior Researcher as well as Head of the Bundeswehr Institute of Radiobiology, Genomics I, Munich, Germany.
Maureen Hatch
Maureen Hatch, MPH, PhD, was a senior staff scientist in the Radiation Epidemiology Branch (REB) and retired from the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics (DCEG), National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland USA, in July 2019, after 17 years of service.
Tetyana Bogdanova
Tetiana I. Bogdanova, PhD, is a Professor and Head of the Laboratory of Morphology of Endocrine System at the Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Kyiv, Ukraine.
Mykola D. Tronko
Mykola D. Tronko, MD, PhD, is a Professor and Academician of NAMS of Ukraine. He is Director of the Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Kyiv, Ukraine.
Kiyohiko Mabuchi
Kiyohiko Mabuchi, MD, DrPH, is a Senior Scientist in the Radiation Epidemiology Branch of the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics (DCEG), National Cancer Institute (NCI), Rockville, Maryland, USA.
Tamara Azizova
Tamara Azizova, MD, PhD, is a researcher and Head of the clinical department at the Southern Urals Biophysics Institute (SUBI), Russian Federation, Ozyorsk, Russia.
Kristian Unger
Kristian Unger, PhD, is Head of an Integrative Biology Group and Deputy Head of Research Unit of Radiation Cytogenetics at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Muenchen, Neuherberg, Germany.
Herbert Braselmann
Herbert Braselmann, MSc, is a Senior Scientist of Radiation Cytogenetics, Integrative Biology Group, Helmholtz-Zentrum Muenchen, Neuherberg, Germany.
Patrick Ostheim
Patrick Ostheim, MD, is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Bundeswehr Institute of Radiobiology, Munich, Germany.
Alina V. Brenner
Alina V. Brenner, MD, PhD, is a Senior Scientist at the Radiation Effects Research Foundation, Department of Epidemiology, Hiroshima, Japan.