Cytogenetic status in coal-miners with occupational pulmonary diseases and influence the polymorphisms of XpD and XpG genes

Background. Coal-miners are exposed by various harmful factors (chemical agents, ionizing radiation, heavy metals, coal dust). Occupational pulmonary diseases may affect to the level of genotoxic damages. Materials and methods. Venous blood samples extracted from 90 coal-miners with various occupational pulmonary diseases and 26 healthy coal-miners (control 1). Blood samples obtained from 124 non-exposed men were used as the control 2. Assessment of cytogenetic damages was performed usingthe analysis of chromosome aberrations. PCR and gel electrophoresis were used to determine polymorphismsin the genes XpD(rs13181) and XpG(rs17655). Results. We found a significant increase in the frequency of the chromatid- and chromosome-type aberrations in coal-miners and the increase of the chromosomal interchange in miners with occupational pulmonary diseases. The modify effects of polymorphismsin the XpD and XpG genes to the level of chromosome aberrations were discovered. Conclusions. It was shown that the XpD and XpG genes can be used as potential molecular geneticmarkers of increased individual risk of occupational pulmonary diseases.