[Search problems of human radiation protection in the world of genetics of aging]

Currently, the urgency for protection from negative effects of radiation in the range of low and medium dose where classic radioprotectors are ineffective is increased. In this respect it seems promising to study the molecular pathways that increase, on the one hand, the stability of the genome against radiation damage (inducers of carcinogenesis), and, on the other hand, elevate the radiation sensitivity of cell populations in order to eliminate potentially carcinogenic cells. This approach requires modification of cascade mechanisms of signal transduction to apoptosis and responses to DNA damage. Research plan is similar to the Genetics of Aging, where a number of hypotheses about the mechanism of aging have been proposed, including a decrease in the stability of the genome to external influences. Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference "The genetics of aging and longevity" (Moscow, April 2012) demonstrated, however, that patterns of aging mechanisms identified in model animals (nematodes, drosophila and mice) are far from the possibility of their practical application. Discovered genes that may be responsible for life expectancy (stress-inducible protein and other components of the signal transduction cascade, as well as suppressors and inducers) rarely find significance in the study of the genomes of centenarian cohorts. This may be due to the difficulty in transferring molecular genetic patterns from model objects to large mammals, including humans, with respect to systems of signal transduction. This point must be taken into account during the search for a new generation of radioprotective agents that promote anti-carcinogenic potential of human cells exposed to radiation at low and moderate doses. It may be necessary to search for such tools in large laboratory animals and in human tissue cultures obtained through genetic engineering or cloning.