P32 Melanin confers protection against ultraviolet radiation-mediated mitochondrial DNA damage in skin of colour

Abstract

Abstract Introduction and aims Melanin is a photoprotective pigment that effectively absorbs and scatters solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR) affording protection against nuclear DNA photodamage. In lightly pigmented skin, UVR-mediated damage of cellular DNA is not limited to nuclear DNA; mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is also susceptible to UVR-induced damage leading to an increased frequency of deletions and mutations. However, the protective role of melanin against UVR-induced mtDNA damage is unknown. Therefore, we sought to determine whether melanin affords protection against UVR-induced mtDNA damage. Methods Using Genome Analysis Toolkit best practices, mtDNA was extracted from photoexposed forearm and photoprotected buttock of Black African (n = 3) and White Northern European (n = 3) volunteers and sequenced to identify somatic mutations. Results Comparison of photoexposed forearm with photoprotected buttock identified a total of 21 somatic mutations, including single-nucleotide transitions, deletions and additions. Of these, three somatic mutations were observed in Black skin, whereas 18 were identified in White skin (P < 0.01). Analysis of single-nucleotide transitions revealed a total of 13 variations and of these, two were identified in Black skin and 11 in White skin. Interestingly, of the somatic mutations observed in White skin, there was enrichment of the cytosine to thymine (C>T) transitions in all volunteers. In contrast, photoexposed Black skin had a thymine to guanine transition at position 414 (T414G) identified for two of the three Black volunteers. Conclusions Here we identified that Black skin exhibited fewer mtDNA mutations compared with White skin; enrichment of C>T transitions in White skin is consistent with a previously reported UVR-signature of mtDNA damage, whereas the T414G transition identified in Black photoexposed skin has previously been suggested as a mitochondrial biomarker of photoageing. Our study suggests that melanin confers protection against UVR-mediated mtDNA damage and that the mtDNA damage signature differs between skin types.