Features of the Subpopulation Composition of Peripheral Blood T-Helpers in the Long-Term Period in Persons Exposed to Chronic Radiation In Utero

The objective of this work was to study the number of different T-helper subpopulations in peripheral blood as well as the expression of TBX21, RORC, GATA3, NFKB1, MAPK8, and STAT3 genes, responsible for the regulation of T-helper differentiation in persons chronically exposed in utero. The object of the study was peripheral blood cells obtained from 156 people chronically exposed in utero and postnatally in a wide range of doses on the Techa River. The mean cumulative absorbed dose to the red bone marrow in the examined exposed individuals was 496 ± 51.2 mGy (dose range, 73.5–1298 mGy), in the comparison group 1 it was 18.7 ± 1.97 mGy (dose range, 0.78–57 mGy), and in comparison group 2 (exposed only postnatally) it was 571 ± 49.1 mGy (dose range, 86.74–1240 mGy). The subpopulation composition of T-helper cells was analyzed by flow cytometry. The relative mRNA content of TBX21, RORC, GATA3, NFKB1, MAPK8, and STAT3 genes was assessed by RT–PCR. A dose-dependent decrease in the total number of T-helper cells, effector memory T-helper cells, and central memory T-helper cells at a trend level and an increase in the relative number of naive T-helper cells in the peripheral blood of individuals exposed in utero and postnatally were found. An increase in the relative number of type 1 T-helper cells was also revealed in those exposed in utero and postnatally relative to the group of persons exposed only postnatally. These changes did not depend on the cumulative radiation doses. There were no statistically significant changes in the mRNA expression of the studied genes (GATA3, STAT3, TBX21, MAPK8, and RORc). No correlation between the mRNA expression of the studied genes and the relative number of cells in the subpopulations of T-helper types 1, 2, and 17 in the examined individuals was revealed.