Transcriptome analyses in normal prostate epithelial cells exposed to low-dose cadmium: oncogenic and immunomodulations involving the action of tumor necrosis factor.
BACKGROUND
Cadmium is implicated in prostate carcinogenesis, but its oncogenic action remains unclear.


OBJECTIVE
In this study we aimed to decipher changes in cell growth and the transcriptome in an immortalized human normal prostate epithelial cell line (NPrEC) following exposure to low-dose Cd.


METHODS
Synchronized NPrEC cells were exposed to different doses of Cd and assayed for cell viability and cell-cycle progression. We investigated changes in transcriptome by global profiling and used Ingenuity Pathways Analysis software to develop propositions about functional connections among differentially expressed genes. A neutralizing antibody was used to negate the effect of Cd-induced up-regulation of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) in NPrEC cells.


RESULTS
Exposure of NPrEC to 2.5 microM Cd enhanced cell viability and accelerated cell-cycle progression. Global expression profiling identified 48 genes that exhibited >or= 1.5-fold changes in expression after 4, 8, 16, and 32 hr of Cd treatment. Pathway analyses inferred a functional connection among 35 of these genes in one major network, with TNF as the most prominent node. Fourteen of the 35 genes are related to TNF, and 11 exhibited an average of >2-fold changes in gene expression. Real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction confirmed the up-regulation of 7 of the 11 genes (ADAM8, EDN1, IL8, IL24, IL13RA2, COX2/PTGS2, and SERPINB2) and uncovered a 28-fold transient increase in TNF expression in Cd-treated NPrEC cells. A TNF-neutralizing antibody effectively blocked Cd-induced elevations in the expression of these genes.


CONCLUSIONS
Noncytotoxic, low-dose Cd has growth-promoting effects on NPrEC cells and induces transient overexpression of TNF, leading to up-regulation of genes with oncogenic and immunomodulation functions.
Division of Environmental Genetics and Molecular Toxicology, Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio 45267-0056, USA.
Shlomo
S
Bakshi
Xiang
X
Zhang
Sonia
S
Godoy-Tundidor
Robert Yuk Sing
RY
Cheng
Maureen A
MA
Sartor
Mario
M
Medvedovic
Shuk-Mei
SM
Ho
D000906:Antibodies / Q000494:pharmacology; D002104:Cadmium / Q000633:toxicity*; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects; D002460:Cell Line; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D011467:Prostate / Q000166:cytology*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism
D000906:Antibodies; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D002104:Cadmium