p53 mutations and codon 213 polymorphism of p53 in lung cancers of former uranium miners

Purpose: There is a high prevalence of G-->T transversions of p53 in lung c ancers of smokers. One study has reported a special "hotspot" mutation at c o don 249 of p53 in lung cancers of former uranium miners. The aim of our s tudy was to look for mutational spectra of p53 in former German uranium min ers with lung cancers. Methods: We investigated 16 patients with lung cance r who had worked as uranium miners in Germany and 13 lung cancer patients w ithout a mining history of the same region. By means of the polymerase chai n reaction and sequencing we looked for mutations in exons 5-7 of the p53 g ene. Results: We could not find any suggestion of hotspot mutations. The on ly G-->T: mutation in former uranium miners was detected in the only nonsmo ker. In 3 patients (19% of the total) we found a codon 213/3 polymorphism. Conclusions: The results indicate that G --> T transversions do not seem to be very common mutations in p53 in lung cancers probably caused by radiati on. Therefore, p53 may be mutated early in lung cancer development if radia tion exposure is a critical factor in carcinogenesis. In accordance with st udies of thyroid cancer patients in the Chernobyl region, our results may i ndicate an overrepresentation of codon 213/3 polymorphism in p53 in radiati on-caused cancers.