Methionine concentration in the diet has a tissue-specific effect on chromosomal stability in female mice

Inadequate nutrient intake can influence the genome. Since methionine is an essential amino acid that may influence DNA integrity due to its role in the one-carbon metabolism pathway, we were interested in whether methionine imbalance can lead to genotoxic events. Adult female Swiss mice were fed a control (0.3% dl-methionine), methionine-supplemented (2.0% dl-methionine) or methionine-deficient (0% dl-methionine) diet over a 10-week period. Chromosomal damage was assessed in peripheral blood using a micronucleus test, and DNA damage was assessed in the liver, heart and peripheral blood tissues using a comet assay. The mRNA expression of the mismatch repair genes Mlh1 and Msh2 was analyzed in the liver. The frequency of micronucleus in peripheral blood was increased by 122% in the methionine-supplemented group (p < 0.05). The methionine-supplemented diet did not induce DNA damage in the heart and liver tissues, but it increased DNA damage in the peripheral blood. The methionine-deficient diet reduced basal DNA damage in liver tissue. This reduction was correlated with decreased mRNA expression of Msh2. Our results demonstrate that methionine has a tissue-specific effect because methionine-supplemented diet induced both chromosomal and DNA damage in peripheral blood while the methionine-deficient diet reduced basal DNA damage in the liver.