Gene expression in nanotoxicology research: analysis by differential display in BALB3T3 fibroblasts exposed to cobalt particles and ions.
Broadly defined, nanoscale materials are substances in which at least one critical dimension is less than 100 nm. Nanoscale materials are employed in several industrial applications as well as in biology and medicine. Despite their wide use, very little research has been carried out on the potential toxicity of nanoparticles. For this reason, we report on a molecular approach in nanotoxicology research. Using the differential display technique, we focused our attention on mRNA expression in a BALB3T3 A31-1-1 cell line that was not exposed and exposed for 72 h to 1 microM of cobalt microparticles (Co-mu), nanoparticles (Co-nano), and ions. In the experiments, we obtained 10 differentially expressed sequences. These genes represent candidate biomarkers capable of indicating specific cellular effects after Co-nano exposure. In addition, our results show that treatment with Co-nano somehow activates cellular pathways of defense and repair mechanisms. It is also evident that molecular techniques are valuable tools in nanotoxicology research, where they will certainly find wide use.
Papis
Elena
E
Dipartimento di Biotecnologie e Scienze Molecolari, Università dell'Insubria, 3 Via Dunant, I-21100 Varese, Italy.
Gornati
Rosalba
R
Prati
Mariangela
M
Ponti
Jessica
J
Sabbioni
Enrico
E
Bernardini
Giovanni
G
D000818:Animals; D041702:BALB 3T3 Cells; D015415:Biomarkers; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D003035:Cobalt / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D003470:Culture Media; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000633:toxicity*; D036103:Nanotechnology; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
D015415:Biomarkers; D003470:Culture Media; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D003035:Cobalt