title: Differential mutation frequency in mitochondrial DNA from thyroid tumours.
abstract: Lack of a chromatin structure and histone protection makes mitochondrial DNA susceptible to oxidative damage. Suboptimal DNA repair leads to a higher frequency of mitochondrial mutations, which are associated with aging, carcinogenesis and environmental insult. The instability of the hypervariable region II of the mitochondrial genome was investigated in radiation-associated thyroid tumours, which were diagnosed in children from Belarus after the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, and from 40 sporadic thyroid tumours from Munich. Two mutations were identified in two out of 126 tumours from Belarus, and eight mutations were found in six out of 40 tumours from Munich. All mutations were deletions or insertions of C in a poly-cytidine (C7TC6) microsatellite. The mutation frequency correlated with the age of the patients at surgery. Mutations with the typical pattern of base substitutions following oxidative DNA damage were not identified.
authors.affiliation: Radiobiological Institute, University of Munich, Schillerstrasse 42, D-80336 Munich, Germany. lohrer@gsf.de
authors.forename: H D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Lohrer
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hieber
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zitzelsberger
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D001483:Base Sequence; D002648:Child; D016384:Consensus Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000235:genetics*; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D015894:Genome, Human; D006801:Humans; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D008875:Middle Aged; D009154:Mutation / Q000502:physiology*; D009381:Neoplasms, Radiation-Induced / Q000235:genetics*; D011210:Power Plants; D018788:Radioactive Hazard Release; D002094:Republic of Belarus; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D014455:Ukraine
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm