Germline minisatellite mutations in workers occupationally exposed to radiation at the Sellafield nuclear facility.

Germline minisatellite mutation rates were investigated in male workers occupationally exposed to radiation at the Sellafield nuclear facility. DNA samples from 160 families with 255 offspring were analysed for mutations at eight hypervariable minisatellite loci (B6.7, CEB1, CEB15, CEB25, CEB36, MS1, MS31, MS32) by Southern hybridisation.

Germline minisatellite mutations in survivors of childhood and young adult cancer treated with radiation.

Purpose: To investigate minisatellite germline mutation rates in survivors of childhood and young adult cancer who received radiotherapy.

Materials And Methods: DNA samples from 100 families, where one parent was a cancer survivor, were analysed for mutations at eight hypervariable minisatellite loci (B6.7, CEB1, CEB15, CEB25, CEB36, MS1, MS31, MS32) by Southern hybridisation.

The heritability of G2 chromosomal radiosensitivity and its association with cancer in Danish cancer survivors and their offspring.

Purpose: To investigate the relationship between chromosomal radiosensitivity and early-onset cancer under the age of 35 years and to examine the heritability of chromosomal radiosensitivity.

Materials And Methods: Peripheral blood lymphocytes were cultured for 72 hours prior to being irradiated with 0.5 Gy, 300 kV X-rays.

Comparison of germ line minisatellite mutation detection at the CEB1 locus by Southern blotting and PCR amplification.

Identification of de novo minisatellite mutations in the offspring of parents exposed to mutagenic agents offers a potentially sensitive measure of germ line genetic events induced by ionizing radiation and genotoxic chemicals. Germ line minisatellite mutations (GMM) are usually detected by hybridizing Southern blots of unamplified size-fractionated genomic DNA with minisatellite probes. However, this consumes a relatively large amount of DNA, requires several steps and may lack sensitivity.

A pilot study examining germline minisatellite mutations in the offspring of Danish childhood and adolescent cancer survivors treated with radiotherapy.

Purpose: To investigate germline mutation rate at eight minisatellite loci in 24 Danish families, where one parent is the survivor of childhood or adolescent cancer treated with radiotherapy.

Materials And Methods: Parents and offspring were profiled for eight hypervariable minisatellite loci (B6.7, CEB1, CEB15, CEB25, CEB36, MS1, MS31, MS32) by Southern blotting.

Chromosome analysis in childhood cancer survivors and their offspring--no evidence for radiotherapy-induced persistent genomic instability.

Suggestions that the induction of genomic instability could play a role in radiation-induced carcinogenesis and heritable disease prompted the investigation of chromosome instability in relation to radiotherapy for childhood cancer. Chromosome analysis of peripheral blood lymphocytes at their first in vitro division was undertaken on 25 adult survivors of childhood cancer treated with radiation, 26 partners who acted as the non-irradiated control group and 43 offspring. A statistically significant increase in the frequency of dicentrics in the cancer survivor group compared with the partner control group was attributed to the residual effect of past radiation therapy.

DNA repair gene polymorphisms in relation to chromosome aberration frequencies in retired radiation workers.

Polymorphic variation in DNA repair genes was examined in a group of retired workers from the British Nuclear Fuels plc facility at Sellafield in relation to previously determined translocation frequencies in peripheral blood lymphocytes. Variation at seven polymorphisms in four genes involved in the base excision repair (XRCC1 R194W, R399Q and a [AC]n microsatellite in the 3' UTR) and double strand break repair (XRCC3 T241M and a [AC]n microsatellite in intron 3 of XRCC3, XRCC4 I134T, and a GACTAn microsatellite located 120 kb 5' of XRCC5) pathways was determined for 291 retired radiation workers who had received cumulative occupational external radiation doses of between 0 and 1873 mSv. When the interaction between radiation dose and each DNA repair gene polymorphism was examined in relation to translocation frequency there was no evidence for any of the polymorphisms studied influencing the response to occupational exposure.