Gene expression changes after exposure to six-mix in a mouse model.
The exposure of Libby MT residents to amphibole-contaminated vermiculite is well known. To explore the gene-environment interactions in the development of asbestos-related diseases (ARD), a mouse model of asbestos exposure using Six-mix (a combination of amphibole fibers gathered from six sites at the Libby vermiculite mine), crocidolite asbestos, or saline as a negative control was used to determine both gene expression responses by using mouse 10,000 oligonucleotide array and to visualize these changes histologically. Mice were sacrificed and whole lungs harvested for histology and microarray analysis six months following exposure via intratracheal instillation. Using an arbitrary cutoff of 1.25-fold change, genes whose RNA expression levels were specifically altered in response to the different amphibole exposures were grouped into categories by a gene ontology analysis program, GoMiner. Our hypothesis was that assessment of asbestos-responsive genes would provide a better understanding of response mechanisms. These experiments have provided new candidates for genes involved in the asbestos response pathways.
Center for Environmental Health Sciences, Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of Montana, Missoula, Montana 59812-1552, USA. elizabeth.putnam@umontana.edu
Elizabeth A
EA
Putnam
Aubrey
A
Smartt
Angie
A
Groves
Corbin
C
Schwanke
Mary
M
Brezinski
Mark A
MA
Pershouse
D000538:Aluminum Silicates / Q000266:history / Q000633:toxicity*; D000818:Animals; D017636:Asbestos, Amphibole / Q000266:history / Q000633:toxicity*; D001195:Asbestosis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D001330:Electronic Data Processing; D004781:Environmental Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000266:history; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008906:Mining / Q000266:history; D009009:Montana; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D012984:Software; D013997:Time Factors
D000538:Aluminum Silicates; D017636:Asbestos, Amphibole; C003760:vermiculite