Evaluation of GammaH2AX in Buccal Cells as a Molecular Biomarker of DNA Damage in Alzheimer's Disease in the AIBL Study of Ageing.

In response to double-stranded breaks (DSBs) in chromosomal DNA, H2AX (a member of histone H2A family) becomes phosphorylated to form γH2AX. Although increased levels of γH2AX have been reported in the neuronal nuclei of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, the understanding of γH2AX responses in buccal nuclei of individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD remain unexplored. In the current study, endogenous γH2AX was measured in buccal cell nuclei from MCI (n = 18) or AD (n = 16) patients and in healthy controls (n = 17) using laser scanning cytometry (LSC).

γH2AX is increased in peripheral blood lymphocytes of Alzheimer's disease patients in the South Australian Neurodegeneration, Nutrition and DNA Damage (SAND) study of aging.

An early cellular response to DNA double-strand breaks is the phosphorylation of histone H2AX to form γH2AX. Although increased levels of γH2AX have been reported in neuronal nuclei of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, γH2AX responses in the lymphocytes of individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and AD remain unexplored. In this study, the endogenous γH2AX level was measured, using laser scanning cytometry (LSC) and visual scoring, in lymphocyte nuclei from MCI (n = 18), or AD (n = 20) patients and healthy controls (n = 40).

Persistent γH2AX: A promising molecular marker of DNA damage and aging.

One of the earliest cellular responses to DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) is the phosphorylation of the core histone protein H2AX (termed γH2AX). Persistent γH2AX is the level of γH2AX above baseline, measured at a given time-point beyond which DNA DSBs are normally expected to be repaired (usually persist for days to months). This review summarizes the concept of persistent γH2AX in the context of exogenous source induced DNA DSBs (e.

γH2AX responses in human buccal cells exposed to ionizing radiation.

DNA double strand breaks are induced by ionizing radiation (IR), leading to the phosphorylation of the core histone protein H2AX (termed γH2AX). The understanding of the γH2AX responses in irradiated human buccal cells is still very limited. We used visual scoring and laser scanning cytometry (LSC) methods to investigate γH2AX signaling following exposure of human buccal cells (from six individuals) to ionizing radiation at 0-4 Gy.