title: Persistence of Breakage in Specific Chromosome Bands 6 Years after Acute Exposure to Oil.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The identification of breakpoints involved in chromosomal damage could help to detect genes involved in genetic disorders, most notably cancer. Until now, only one published study, carried out by our group, has identified chromosome bands affected by exposure to oil from an oil spill. In that study, which was performed two years after the initial oil exposure in individuals who had participated in clean-up tasks following the wreck of the Prestige, three chromosomal bands (2q21, 3q27, 5q31) were found to be especially prone to breakage. A recent follow-up study, performed on the same individuals, revealed that the genotoxic damage had persisted six years after oil exposure.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether there exist chromosome bands which are especially prone to breakages and to know if there is some correlation with those detected in the previous study. In addition, to investigate if the DNA repair problems detected previously persist in the present study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Follow-up study performed six years after the Prestige oil spill.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fishermen cooperatives in coastal villages.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fishermen highly exposed to oil spill who participated in previous genotoxic study six years after the oil.
  
  
  METHODS
  Chromosome damage in peripheral lymphocytes. For accurate identification of the breakpoints involved in chromosome damage of circulating lymphocytes, a sequential stain/G-banding technique was employed. To determine the most break-prone chromosome bands, two statistical methods, the Fragile Site Multinomial and the chi-square tests (where the bands were corrected by their length) were used. To compare the chromosome lesions, structural chromosome alterations and gaps/breaks between two groups of individuals we used the GEE test which takes into account a possible within-individual correlation. Dysfunctions in DNA repair mechanisms, expressed as chromosome damage, were assessed in cultures with aphidicolin by the GEE test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cytogenetic analyses were performed in 47 exposed individuals. A total of 251 breakpoints in exposed individuals) were identified, showing a non-uniform distribution in the human ideogram. Ten chromosome bands were found to be especially prone to breakage through both statistical methods. By comparing these bands with those observed in certain exposed individuals who had already participated the previous study, it was found in both studies that four bands (2q21, 3q27, 5q31 and 17p11.2) are particularly sensitive to breakage. Additionally, the dysfunction in DNA repair mechanisms was not significantly higher in oil-exposed individuals than in non-exposed individuals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The sample size and the possibility of some kind of selection bias should be considered. Genotoxic results cannot be extrapolated to the high number of individuals who participated occasionally in clean-up tasks.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings show the existence of at least four target bands (2q21, 3q27, 5q31 and 17p11.2) with a greater propensity to break over time after an acute exposure to oil. The breaks in these bands, which are commonly involved in hematological cancer, may explain the increase of cancer risk reported in chronically benzene-exposed individuals. In addition, a more efficiency of the DNA repair mechanisms has been detected six years after in fishermen who were highly exposed to the oil spill. To date, only this study, performed by our group on the previous and present genotoxic effects, has analyzed the chromosomal regions affected by breakage after an acute oil exposure.
authors.affiliation: Unitat de Biologia Cel·lular i Genètica Mèdica, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain.
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Francés
authors.affiliation: Unitat de Biologia Cel·lular i Genètica Mèdica, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain.
authors.forename: Kristin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hildur
authors.affiliation: CIBER Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES), Bunyola, Mallorca, Spain.|Departament de Medicina Respiratòria, Hospital Clínic-Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Joan Albert
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Barberà
authors.affiliation: CIBER Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES), Bunyola, Mallorca, Spain.|Departamento de Medicina Respiratoria, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Gema
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Trigo
authors.affiliation: Centre de Recerca en Epidemiologia Ambiental (CREAL), Barcelona, Spain.|Institut Recerca Medica, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain.|CIBER Epidemiologia i Salut Pública (CIBERESP), Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Jan-Paul
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Zock
authors.affiliation: Institut de Neurociències and Unitat de Bioestadística, Facultat de Medicina, UAB, Bellaterra, Spain.
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Giraldo
authors.affiliation: Unitat de Biologia Cel·lular i Genètica Mèdica, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain.
authors.forename: Gemma
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Monyarch
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Respiratoria, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain.
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Rodriguez
authors.affiliation: Unitat de Biologia Cel·lular i Genètica Mèdica, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain.
authors.forename: Fernanda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: de Castro Reis
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Respiratoria, Complexo Hospitalario Universitario A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Souto
authors.affiliation: CIBER Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES), Bunyola, Mallorca, Spain.|Departament de Medicina Respiratòria, Hospital Clínic-Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Federico P
authors.initials: FP
authors.lastname: Gómez
authors.affiliation: CIBER Enfermedades Respiratorias (CIBERES), Bunyola, Mallorca, Spain.|Departamento de Medicina Respiratoria, Unidad Epidemiologia Clínica, Hospital 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pozo-Rodríguez
authors.affiliation: Unitat de Biologia Cel·lular i Genètica Mèdica, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Templado
authors.affiliation: Unitat de Biologia Cel·lular i Genètica Mèdica, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Bellaterra, Spain.
authors.forename: Carme
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fuster
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002871:Chromosome Banding; D019457:Chromosome Breakage / Q000187:drug effects; D002886:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 17; D002889:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 2; D002893:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 3; D002895:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 5; D020732:Cytogenetic Analysis; D004260:DNA Repair / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D059392:Petroleum Pollution; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical