Exposure to environmental radionuclides associates with tissue-specific impacts on telomerase expression and telomere length.

ABSTRACT: Telomeres, the protective structures at the ends of chromosomes, can be shortened when individuals are exposed to stress. In some species, the enzyme telomerase is expressed in adult somatic tissues, and potentially protects or lengthens telomeres. Telomeres can be damaged by ionizing radiation and oxidative stress, although the effect of chronic exposure to elevated levels of radiation on telomere maintenance is unknown for natural populations. We quantified telomerase expression and telomere length (TL) in different tissues of the bank vole Myodes glareolus, collected from the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, an environment heterogeneously contaminated with radionuclides, and from uncontaminated control sites elsewhere in Ukraine. Inhabiting the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone was associated with redu

SUBMITTER: Kesaniemi J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6351625 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature