Abstract
Ethylbenzene, toluene and xylene are widely used volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs are dangerous to human health or cause harm to the environment. The assessment of VOC exposure maybe carried out through a number of techniques. One of them, the epigenetic biomarker applies a new technology. Environmental epigenetics focuses on how cells or organisms respond to environmental factors to create altered phenotypes or diseases. In this study, our intention was to conduct an investigation of epigenetic biomarkers in VOCs. For the experiment, we used the DNAs and RNAs from VOC exposed human blood and VOCs treated cell lines. Then, we compared the data using microarray fold change, real-time PCR and methylation specific PCR. As a result, we identified five microRNAs (miR-520g, miR-424, miR-210, miR-21, and miR-142-3p), three methylation regions (SERPINB5, ZC3H3, and PCSK6) and four transcripts (CRCT1, RUNX3, PCDH11X, and PCSK6), which could be used as biomarkers for VOCs, becommings the foundation for a system which can predict VOC exposure.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Probert, C. et al. Volatile organic compounds as diagnostic biomarkers in gastrointestinal and liver diseases. J. Gastrointestin. Liver. Dis. 18, 337–343 (2009).
Fan, Z. et al. Ozone-initiated reactions with mixtures of volatile organic compounds under simulated indoor conditions. Environ. Sci. Technol. 37, 1811–1821 (2003).
Axelsson, G., Barregard, L., Holmberg, E. & Sallsten, G. Cancer incidence in a petrochemical industry area in Sweden. Sci. Total Environ. 408, 4482–4487 (2010).
Park, H. et al. Gene expression profiling of HepG2 cells treated with endocrine disrupting chemicals using the HazChem human array V3. Mol. Cell. Toxicol. 6, 57–63 (2010).
Kim, J.K. et al. Identification of characteristic molecular signature for volatile organic compounds in peripheral blood of rat. Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. 250, 162–169 (2011).
De Celis, R., Feria-Velasco, A., Gonzalez-Unzaga, M., Torres-Calleja, J. & Pedron-Nuevo, N. Semen quality of workers occupationally exposed to hydrocarbons. Fertil. Steril. 73, 221–228 (2000).
Gerin, M., Siemiatychi, J., Desy, M. & Krewski, D. Associations between several sites of cancer and occupational exposure to benzene, toluene, xylene, and styrene: Results of a case-control study in Montreal. Am. J. Ind. Med. 34, 144–156 (1998).
Lundberg, I. & Milatou-Smith, R. Mortality and cancer incidence among Swedish paint industry workers with long-term exposure to organic solvents. Scand. J. Work Environ. Health 24, 270–275 (1998).
IDLH. Toluene, documentation for immediately dangerous to life or health concentrations. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/idlh/108883.html (1996).
IDLH. Xylene (o-, m-, p-isomers), documentation for immediately dangerous to life or health concentrations. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/idlh/95476.html (1996).
Wang, S., Ang, H.M. & Tade, M.O. Volatile organic compounds in indoor environment and photocatalytic oxidation: state of the art. Environ. Int. 33, 694–705 (2007).
Kansal, A. Sources and reactivity of NMHCs and VOCs in the atmosphere: a review. J. Hazard. Mater. 166, 17–26 (2009).
Pragst, F. Application of solid-phase microextraction in analytical toxicology. Anal. Bioanal. Chem. 388, 1393–1414 (2007).
Wood, M. et al. Recent applications of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry in forensic science. J. Chromatogr. A. 1130, 3–15 (2006).
Rouseff, R. & Cadwallader, K. Headspace techniques in foods, fragrances and flavors: an overview. Adv. Exp. Med. Biol. 488, 1–8 (2001).
Schnürer, J., Olsson, J. & Börjesson, T. Fungal volatiles as indicators of food and feeds spoilage. Fungal Genet. Biol. 27, 209–217 (1999).
Zhou, M., Robards, K., Glennie-Holmes, M. & Helliwell, S. Analysis of volatile compounds and their contribution to flavor in cereals. J. Agric. Food Chem. 47, 3941–3953 (1999).
Eun, J.W. et al. Discriminating the molecular basis of hepatotoxicity using the large-scale characteristic molecular signatures of toxicants by expression profiling analysis. Toxicology 249, 176–183 (2008).
Sarma, S.N., Kim, Y. & Ryu, J. Gene expression profiles of human promyelocytic leukemia cell lines exposed to volatile organic compounds. Toxicology 271, 122–130 (2010).
Yim, W.C., Min, K., Jung, D., Lee, B.M. & Kwon, Y. Cross experimental analysis of microarray gene expression data from volatile organic compounds treated targets. Mol. Cell. Toxicol. 7, 233–241 (2011).
Wang, F., Li, C., Liu, W. & Jin, Y. Modulation of microRNA expression by volatile organic Compounds in mouse lung. Environ. Toxicol. DOI 10.1002 /tox (2012).
Baylin, S.B. & Jones, P.A. A decade of exploring the cancer epigenome: biological and translational implications. Nat. Rev. Cancer 11, 726–734 (2011).
Xing, M. Gene methylation in thyroid tumorigenesis. Endocrinology 148, 948–953 (2007).
Li, M. et al. Frequent amplification of a chr19q13.41 microRNA polycistron in aggressive primitive neuroectodermal brain tumors. Cancer Cell 16, 533–546 (2009).
Nakashima, T. et al. Down-regulation of mir-424 contributes to the abnormal angiogenesis via MEK1 and Cyclin E1 in senile aemangioma: its implications to therapy. PLoS One. 5, e14334. DOI: 10.1371/journal. pone.0014334 (2010).
Buffa, F.M. et al. microRNA-associated progression pathways and potential therapeutic targets identified by integrated mRNA and microRNA expression profiling in breast cancer. Cancer Res. 71, 5635–5645 (2011).
Duncavage, E., Goodgame, B., Sezhiyan, A., Govindan, R. & Pfeifer, J. Use of microRNA expression levels to predict outcomes in resected stage I non-small cell lung cancer. J. Thorac. Oncol. 5, 1755–1763 (2010).
Gee, H.E. et al. The small-nucleolarRNAs commonly used for microRNA normalization correlate with tumour pathology and prognosis. Br. J. Cancer 104, 1168–1177 (2011).
Lawrie, C.H. et al. Detection of elevated levels of tumour-associated microRNAs in serum of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. Br. J. Haematol. 141, 672–675 (2008).
Scapoli, L. et al. MicroRNA expression profiling of oral carcinoma identifies new markers of tumor progression. Int. J. Immunopathol. Pharmacol. 23, 1229–1234 (2010).
Zeng, L. et al. MicroRNA-210 as a novel blood biomarker in acute cerebral ischemia. Front. Biosci. 3, 1265–1272 (2011).
Hong, L. et al. High expression of miR-210 predicts poor survival in patients with breast cancer: A metaanalysis. Gene 507, 135–138 (2012).
Tabon, K.E., Chang, D. & Kuzhikandathil, E.V. Micro-RNA 142-3p Mediates post-transcriptional regulation of D1 dopamine receptor expression. PLoS One. 7, e49288. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0049288 (2012).
O’Neill, I.D. New insights into the nature of Warthin’s tumour. J. Oral. Pathol. Med. 38, 145–149 (2009).
Ko, H.J. et al. DNA methylation of RUNX3 in papillary thyroid cancer. Korean J. Intern. Med. 27, 407–410 (2012).
Choi, M.R. et al. Gene expression during long-term culture of mesenchymal stem cells obtained from patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. BioChip J. 6, 342–353 (2012).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
An, Y.R., Kim, S.J., Yu, SY. et al. Identification of genetic/epigenetic biomarkers for supporting decision of VOCs exposure. BioChip J 7, 1–5 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13206-013-7101-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13206-013-7101-3