Possibilities and limitations of fluorescence in situ hybridization technique in retrospective detection of low dose radiation exposure in post-chernobyl human cohorts.

Cytogenetic analysis using the fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) technique was performed late time after the Chernobyl accident in groups of liquidators, evacuees from 30 km exclusive zone, residents of radioactively contaminated areas and control donors age-matched to exposed persons. Stable and unstable chromosome type exchanges were recorded using a hybrid conventional-PAINT nomenclature. The mean yield of stable chromosome exchanges in liquidators did not correlate with registered radiation doses but had a clear negative dependence on the duration of liquidators' staying in Chernobyl zone, that was in a good agreement with early data based on conventional dicentrics plus rings analysis. The overspontaneous excess for stable chromosome exchange level appeared to be higher in evacuees 16-40 years old than that of senior persons, whereas no age-dependent difference occurred for initially induced dicentrics plus rings yields in this cohort. The stable chromosome exchange yield, as well as combined yield of dicentrics plus rings and potentially unstable incomplete translocations in residents of radioactively contaminated areas showed a reasonable positive correlation with levels of 137Cs contamination. The observed yields of stable chromosome exchanges in all three exposed groups appeared to be somewhat lower than those of expected from unstable exchange-based doses which were referred to an in vitro dose response of stable exchanges outcome in human lymphocytes. Thus, FISH analysis can be successfully applied for qualitative cytogenetic indication of past and chronic radiation exposure to low doses but further refinement of FISH-based system for quantitative dose assessment is still required. Some practical approaches of solving this task are discussed.