Germline Mutations
Germline mutations includes publications which use DNA sequence techniques to look for newly arising DNA mutations in children of radiation exposed parents.
It is helpful for understanding these lay summaries to first read the Basic Information on Radiation and Health and Radiation and Heredity.
Select a journal article below to read a lay summary.
This lay summary describes research examining whether children of parents who were exposed in the 1986 Chernobyl accident, had elevated levels of newly arising, or de novo, DNA mutations. Click here to read lay summary.
Full article: Yeager M, Machiela MJ, Kothiyal P, Dean M, Bodelon C, Suman S, Wang M, Mirabello L, Nelson CW, Zhou W, Palmer C, Ballew B, Colli L, Freedman ND, Dagnall C, Hutchinson A, Vij V, Maruvka Y, Hatch M, Illienko I, Belayev Y, Nakamura N, Chumak V, Bakhanova E, Belyi D, Kryuchkov V, Golovanov I, Gudzenko N, Cahoon EK, Albert P, Drozdovitch V, Little MP, Mabuchi K, Stewart C, Getz G, Bazyka D, Berrington A, Chanock SJ. (2021) Lack of transgenerational effects of ionizing radiation exposure from the Chernobyl accident. Science 372 (6543), 725-729.
This lay summary describes how researchers looked for newly arising DNA mutations in children of accidentally exposed parents. Click here to read lay summary.
Full article: Costa, E.O.A., Pinto, I.P., Gonçalves, M.W. et al. (2018) Small de novo CNVs as biomarkers of parental exposure to low doses of ionizing radiation of caesium-137.Journal Scientific Reports 8, 5914. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-23813-5.
This lay summary describes research looking to detect if any changes had occurred to the germline (inheritable) DNA of Kazakhstani people living in regions contaminated by historical nuclear testing. Click here to read lay summary.
Full article: Dubrova, Y.E., Bersimbaev, R.I., Djansugurova, L.B., Tankimanova, M.K., Mamyrbaeva, Z. Zh., Mustonen, R., Lindholm, C., Hulten, M. and Salomaa, S. (2002) Nuclear Weapons Tests and Human Germline Mutation Rate, Science, 295(5557), p. 1037.
This lay summary describes research examining whether children of atomic-bomb survivors have heritable DNA mutations due to their parents exposure to radiation. Click here to read lay summary.
Full article: Horai, M., Mishima, H., Hayashida, C. et al. (2018) Detection of de novo single nucleotide variants in offspring of atomic-bomb survivors close to the hypocenter by whole-genome sequencing. Journal of Human Genetics 63, pp. 357–363. https://doi.org/10.1038/s10038-017-0392-9.