Chernobyl dogs difference not caused by radiation, according to new study
Radiation-induced mutation is unlikely to have brought about genetic differences between dogs in Chernobyl city and the nearby nuclear power plant. That’s what a new study in PLOS ONE from North Carolina State University and Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. The study could impact our understanding of the effects of environmental contamination has on animal populations over time.
“We have been working with two dog populations that, while separated by just 16 kilometers, or about 10 miles, are genetically distinct,” Oscar J. Fletcher Distinguished Professor of Comparative Oncology Genetics at NC State Matthew Breen said. “We are trying to determine if low-level exposure over many years to environmental toxins such as radiation, lead, etcetera, could explain some of those differences.” Breen is the corresponding author of the study.
In this new study, the team conducted a deep dive into the genome of dogs in Chernobyl, finding evidence of mutations that could have accumulated over time.
“First, we contextualized the level of genetic differences between two dog populations, which indicated that the genetics of Chornobyl City dogs were very similar to dog populations in Russia, Poland and the surrounding areas,” Ph.D. candidate at NC State and lead author of the study Megan Dillon said. “That way, we were able to use the Chornobyl City dogs as a representative control population to compare with the NPP dogs.”
They began to search for differences in the genome, looking for abnormalities and evidence of accumulated germ line DNA mutations. These are changes that occur in the DNA of reproductive cells and are passed down over time by parents to their offspring.
While there was no evidence of genetic mutation, they researchers stated that this does not rule out the part that selective pressures had in the differences between the populations of dogs.
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