van Poppel G, de Vogel N, van Balderen P J, Kok F J
TNO Toxicology and Nutrition Institute, Zeist, The Netherlands.
Carcinogenesis. 1992 Feb;13(2):303-5. doi: 10.1093/carcin/13.2.303.
Reduced expression of the mu-isozyme of glutathione S-transferase (GST; EC 2.5.1.18) has been associated with increased lung cancer risk. We studied the association between GST-mu expression and DNA damage as measured by sister chromatid exchanges (SCE) in healthy male smokers. SCE levels were higher in the 71 GST-mu-deficient smokers compared to the 83 non-deficient smokers (5.24 versus 4.97 SCE/lymphocyte; P = 0.09). In smokers having high plasma cotinine levels (greater than median of 315 ng/ml), this mu-related difference was more pronounced (5.50 versus 4.97; P = 0.01), whereas it was absent in smokers having low cotinine levels (4.95 versus 4.97; P = 0.92). Increased cytogenetic damage in GST-mu-deficient heavy smokers may thus explain the association between GST-mu expression and lung cancer.
