Children of Chernobyl workers have mutations in their DNA, study finds

"Instead of looking for all new DNA mutations, the researchers looked for something called 'clustered de novo mutations' (cDNMs). These are where two or more mutations not found in the parent's DNA are clumped together, which shows that the DNA strand has been broken and badly repaired. The researchers sequenced the genomes of 130 children of Chernobyl workers, 110 children of German military radar operators exposed to stray radiation, and 1,275 regular people."

"On average, children whose parents helped clean up Chernobyl had 2.65 cDNMs, while children of radar operators had 1.48. For comparison, children whose parents had not been exposed had only 0.88 cDNMs per person. Importantly, the study also revealed that there was a direct association between the intensity of the parents' radiation exposure and the number of mutations in the children."

"'We found a significant increase in the cDNM count in offspring of irradiated parents, and a potential association between the dose estimations and the number of cDNMs in the respective offspring. 'The present study is the first to provide evidence for the existence of a transgenerational effect of prolonged paternal exposure to low-dose [ionising radiation] IR on the human genome.'"

Genomes of 130 children of Chernobyl cleanup workers, 110 children of German military radar operators exposed to stray radiation, and 1,275 control individuals were sequenced. Clustered de novo mutations (cDNMs) are defined as two or more mutations absent from parental DNA that are clumped together, indicating DNA strand breaks and faulty repair. Children of Chernobyl cleanup workers averaged 2.65 cDNMs, children of radar operators averaged 1.48, and unexposed controls averaged 0.88 cDNMs per person. A direct association emerged between parental radiation dose intensity and offspring cDNM counts. The figures may be slightly inflated by statistical noise and small sample sizes, but the difference remained significant after adjustment. Findings provide evidence for a transgenerational effect of prolonged paternal exposure to low-dose ionising radiation on the human genome.

Read at Mail Online