Influence of Sex, Smoking and Age on Human hprt Mutation Frequencies and Spectra

Corresponding author: John Curry, Centre for Environmental Health, University of Victoria, P.O. Box 3020, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 3N5, Canada., jcurry{at}uvic.ca (E-mail)

Communicating editor: G. B. GOLDING

Examination of the literature for hprt mutant frequencies from peripheral T cells yielded data from 1194 human subjects. Relationships between mutant frequency, age, sex, and smoking were examined, and the kinetics were described. Mutant frequency increases rapidly with age until about age 15. Afterward, the rate of increase falls such that after age 53, the hprt mutant frequency is largely stabilized. Sex had no effect on mutant frequency. Cigarette smoking increased mean mutant frequency compared to nonsmokers, but did not alter age vs. mutant frequency relationships. An hprt in vivo mutant database containing 795 human hprt mutants from 342 individuals was prepared. No difference in mutational spectra was observed comparing smokers to nonsmokers, confirming previous reports. Sex affected the frequency of deletions (>1 bp) that are recovered more than twice as frequently in females (P = 0.008) compared to males. There is no indication of a significant shift in mutational spectra with age for individuals older than 19 yr, with the exception of A:T C:G transversions. These events are recovered more frequently in older individuals.

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