They have identified the characteristic mutations of ionizing radiation in DNA

2016/09/13 Etxebeste Aduriz, Egoitz - Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Medikuntza
• Osasuna

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Ionizing radiation is known to affect DNA and increase the risk of cancer, but not exactly how it happens. In a recent study published in the journal Nature Communications, two types of mutations have been identified that cause ionizing radiation.

According to the researchers, it is to be assumed that ionizing radiation, such as x-rays and gamma rays, cause many damage, but now two types of characteristic mutations have been found. In the first one a few DNA bases are removed and in the second one the DNA is cut into two points, the intermediate part is rotated and rejoined in the reverse direction. Such investments do not occur spontaneously in the body.

Samples of 12 patients with radiation tumors have been obtained by comparing them to 319 others without radiation. In addition, they have seen that these mutations are independent of the type of cancer. According to researchers, the discovery may be useful to know which cancer is caused by radiation and, once known, to investigate whether radiation cancers should be treated differently.