Utility of gene expression studies in relation to radiation exposure and clinical outcomes: thyroid cancer in the Ukrainian-American cohort and late health effects in a MAYAK worker cohort

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.

Keywords:

• Gene expression
• radiation
• cancer
• Chernobyl
• Mayak

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.