title: Transcriptional modulation of a human monocytic cell line exposed to PM(10) from an urban area.
abstract: Insight into the mechanisms by which ambient air particulate matter mediates adverse health effects is needed to provide biological plausibility to epidemiological studies demonstrating an association between PM(10) exposure and increased morbidity and mortality. In vitro studies of the effects of air pollution on human cells help to establish conditions for the analysis of cause-effect relationships. One of the major challenges is to test native atmosphere in its complexity, rather than the various components individually. We have developed an in vitro system in which human monocyte-macrophage U937 cells are directly exposed to filters containing different amounts of PM(10) collected in the city of Rome. Transcriptional profiling obtained after short exposure (1h) of cells to a filter containing 1666μg PM(10) (77.6μg/cm(2)) using a macroarray panel of 1176 genes reveals a significant change in the mRNA level (>2 fold) for 87 genes relative to cells exposed to a control filter. Overall, 9 out of 87 modulated genes were annotated as "lung cancer". qRT-PCR confirmed the induction of relevant genes involved in DNA repair and apoptosis, specifically: ERCC1, TDG, DAD1 and MCL1. In cells exposed for 10min, 1h and 3h to different amounts of PM(10), transcription of TNFα and TRAP1, which code for a key pro-inflammatory cytokine and a mitochondrial protein involved in cell protection from oxidative stress, respectively, was shown to be modulated in a time-dependent, but not a dose-dependent manner. Taken together, these data indicate that it is possible to analyze the effects of untreated particulate matter on human cells by the direct-exposure approach we have developed, possibly providing new clues to traffic-related health hazard.
authors: Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie Charles Darwin, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy.
authors: Emanuela
authors: E
authors: Bastonini
authors: Loredana
authors: L
authors: Verdone
authors: Stefania
authors: S
authors: Morrone
authors: Angela
authors: A
authors: Santoni
authors: Gaetano
authors: G
authors: Settimo
authors: Giovanni
authors: G
authors: Marsili
authors: Marco
authors: M
authors: La Fortezza
authors: Ernesto
authors: E
authors: Di Mauro
authors: Micaela
authors: M
authors: Caserta
mesh_terms: D000393:Air Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D002460:Cell Line; D004260:DNA Repair / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018841:HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006801:Humans; D009000:Monocytes / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D010316:Particle Size; D052638:Particulate Matter / Q000633:toxicity*; D012384:Rome; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects*; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000096:biosynthesis
chemical_list: D000393:Air Pollutants; D018841:HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins; D052638:Particulate Matter; C092306:TRAP1 protein, human; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha