霍華休斯醫(yī)學院，費城兒童醫(yī)院,，賓夕法尼亞大學遺傳學系等處的研究者在最新的Nature在線版上發(fā)表Letter文章，分析輻射導致的遺傳變化對基因表達情況的影響,，文章標題為：Genetic analysis of radiation-induced changes in human gene expression,。
環(huán)境和醫(yī)學儀器都可能給人類帶來輻射。輻射的結(jié)果會導致細胞內(nèi)的遺傳物質(zhì)受到破壞或損傷,，為應對這些放射性損傷,，細胞內(nèi)的復合物通常通過改變基因表達情況來適應新的變化,。然而，每個個體對輻射性損傷的應答處理有可能不同,，具體情況因人而異,。
在本研究中，研究團隊鑒定出一種應對輻射損傷的基因表達調(diào)控器,。研究小組用輻射誘導基因表達水平發(fā)生改變,，同時對這些改變做出定量的檢測，并研究基因連鎖反應,，追蹤基因表達調(diào)控器的活動情況,。結(jié)果發(fā)現(xiàn)染色體的特定區(qū)域與1200例輻射損傷的基因表達有關(guān)聯(lián)?；虮磉_調(diào)控器以反式作用的方式影響基因表達水平,，很少是順式調(diào)節(jié)器。有些反式調(diào)控器起轉(zhuǎn)錄因子樣的作用,。
這些成果對輻射影響基因表達研究具有重要的指導作用,，為輻射遺傳學說的理論研究開辟了新的視野。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
Nature advance online publication 6 April 2009 | doi:10.1038/nature07940
Genetic analysis of radiation-induced changes in human gene expression
Denis A. Smirnov1, Michael Morley2, Eunice Shin2, Richard S. Spielman3 & Vivian G. Cheung1,2,3,4
1 Howard Hughes Medical Institute,
2 The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia,
3 Department of Genetics and,
4 Department of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
Humans are exposed to radiation through the environment and in medical settings. To deal with radiation-induced damage, cells mount complex responses that rely on changes in gene expression. These gene expression responses differ greatly between individuals1 and contribute to individual differences in response to radiation2. Here we identify regulators that influence expression levels of radiation-responsive genes. We treated radiation-induced changes in gene expression as quantitative phenotypes3, 4, and conducted genetic linkage and association studies to map their regulators. For more than 1,200 of these phenotypes there was significant evidence of linkage to specific chromosomal regions. Nearly all of the regulators act in trans to influence the expression of their target genes; there are very few cis-acting regulators. Some of the trans-acting regulators are transcription factors, but others are genes that were not known to have a regulatory function in radiation response. These results have implications for our basic and clinical understanding of how human cells respond to radiation.
