Chroniques génomiques - Les gènes des enfants de Tchernobyl

Abstract

Transgenerational effects have long been expected in children from parents exposed to radiation from atomic bombs in Japan in 1945 or from the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. These effects have in fact proven hard to detect. A new large-scale study based on high-quality whole genome sequencing of father/mother/child trios in which the parental radiation dose is known now demonstrates that the rate of new mutations (50/70 per generation) is not detectably increased when comparing irradiated and non-irradiated parents. This solid data shows conclusively that transgenerational effects of irradiation from the Chernobyl disaster are absent or undetectable.