title: Solar-simulated light-exposed benzo[a]pyrene induces phosphorylation of histone H2AX.
abstract: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), wide-spread mutagenic and carcinogenic environmental pollutants, are consistently exposed to sunlight in the environment. The exposure causes structural change, resulting in the generation of a variety of photomodified products having different bioactivities compared with the parent compounds. In this study, we found that benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) exposed to solar-simulated light (SSL)-induced phosphorylation of histone H2AX (gamma-H2AX), which was recently identified as an early event after the induction of DNA double strand breaks (DSBs). Although BaP itself did not produce gamma-H2AX, SSL-exposed BaP significantly generated gamma-H2AX depending on the period of exposure. Furthermore, we revealed that reactive oxygen species produced by the SSL-exposed BaP mainly contributed to the generation of gamma-H2AX. The appearance of gamma-H2AX means the induction of the most serious form of DNA damage, DSBs, suggesting the potential risk of carcinogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Radiation Biology, Graduate School of Nutritional and Environmental Sciences, University of Shizuoka, Shizuoka-Shi, Japan.
authors.forename: Tatsushi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Toyooka
authors.forename: Go
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ohnuki
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ibuki
mesh_terms: D000111:Acetylcysteine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001564:Benzo(a)pyrene / Q000633:toxicity*; D016466:CHO Cells; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D006224:Cricetinae; D003412:Cricetulus; D053903:DNA Breaks, Double-Stranded; D006657:Histones / Q000378:metabolism*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011809:Quinones / Q000633:toxicity; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D013472:Sunlight
chemical_list: C468783:H2AX protein, human; D006657:Histones; D011809:Quinones; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D001564:Benzo(a)pyrene; D000111:Acetylcysteine