title: Identification of time-dependent biomarkers and effects of exposure to volatile organic compounds using high-throughput analysis.
abstract: Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can be easily taken up by humans, leading to various diseases, such as respiratory system and central nervous system disorders. Environmental risk assessment is generally conducted using traditional tests, which may be time-consuming and technically challenging. Therefore, analysis of the effects of VOCs, such as toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene, may be improved by use of novel, high-throughput methods, such as microarray analysis. In this study, we examined the effects of VOCs exposure in humans on gene expression and methylation using microarray analysis. We recruited participants who had short-term exposure, long-term exposure, or no exposure. We then analyzed changes in gene expression in blood samples from these participants. A total of 866 genes were upregulated, while 366 genes were downregulated in the short-term exposure group. Similarly, in the long-term exposure group, a total of 852 and 480 genes were up- or downregulated, respectively. Hierarchical clustering analysis was used to divide the clustered genes into nine clusters to investigate the expression of variations in accordance with the exposure period. And the methylation microarray was performed at the same time to see whether this expression variation is related to the epigenetic study. Finally, we have 5 genes that were upregulated and 12 genes that were downregulated, gradually and respectively, so these genes are expected to function as biomarkers of the duration of exposure to VOCs. Further research is required to determine the time-dependent effects of VOCs on epigenetic regulation of gene expression. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 31: 1563-1570, 2016.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bio-Nanotechnology, Hanyang University, Sangnok-Gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi-Do, Korea.
authors.forename: Ji Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular & Life Science, Hanyang University, Sangnok-Gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi-Do, Korea.
authors.forename: So Yeon
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular & Life Science, Hanyang University, Sangnok-Gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi-Do, Korea.
authors.forename: Gi Won
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Bio-Nanotechnology, Hanyang University, Sangnok-Gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi-Do, Korea.
authors.forename: Jeong Jin
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.affiliation: Department of Bio-Nanotechnology, Hanyang University, Sangnok-Gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi-Do, Korea.
authors.forename: Youngjoo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular & Life Science, Hanyang University, Sangnok-Gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi-Do, Korea.
authors.forename: Seri
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lim
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Korea University Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: Sang Wook
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Son
authors.affiliation: Department of Bio-Nanotechnology, Hanyang University, Sangnok-Gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi-Do, Korea. syhwang@hanyang.ac.kr.|Department of Molecular & Life Science, Hanyang University, Sangnok-Gu, Ansan, Gyeonggi-Do, Korea. syhwang@hanyang.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Seung Yong
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Hwang
mesh_terms: D015415:Biomarkers / Q000032:analysis; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic / Q000187:drug effects; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D057166:High-Throughput Screening Assays; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D055549:Volatile Organic Compounds
keywords: ethylbenzene; exposure time; gene expression; methylation; microarray; toluene; xylene