The Association of Wnt Gene Polymorphism with the Frequency of Cytogenetic Disorders under the Action of Ionizing Radiation

The results of a study of the association of single nucleotide polymorphisms of the Wnt genes with an increased frequency of cytogenetic disorders in the blood lymphocytes of workers at an ionizing radiation facility exposed to long-term radiation exposure at doses of 100–500 mGy are presented. The object of this study was the blood of 95 apparently healthy workers who were subjected to long-term technogenic external exposure to γ-radiation in doses from 100 to 500 mGy in the course of their professional activities. For all individuals examined, a standard cytogenetic analysis of blood lymphocytes was performed. Genomic DNA was isolated from blood lymphocytes of workers using a “QIAamp DNA Blood mini Kit” (Qiagen, Germany). DNA was genotyped for 116 single nucleotide polymorphisms of the Wnt genes using the high-density CytoScan™ HD Array (Affymetrix, United States) chips (DNA chips). Taking into account the Bonferroni correction, an association of single nucleotide polymorphisms of the Wnt genes with a high frequency of circular chromosomes in blood lymphocytes was established; all other types of cytogenetic disorders did not show statistical significance. As a result of this study, a single nucleotide polymorphism of the WNT9B gene rs1530364 was identified, which can be considered as a potential marker of individual radiosensitivity.