title: From the Field to the Laboratory: Air Pollutant-Induced Genomic Effects in Lung Cells.
abstract: Current in vitro studies do not typically assess cellular impacts in relation to real-world atmospheric mixtures of gases. In this study, we set out to examine the feasibility of measuring biological responses at the level of gene expression in human lung cells upon direct exposures to air in the field. This study describes the successful deployment of lung cells in the heavily industrialized Houston Ship Channel. By examining messenger RNA (mRNA) levels from exposed lung cells, we identified changes in genes that play a role as inflammatory responders in the cell. The results show anticipated responses from negative and positive controls, confirming the integrity of the experimental protocol and the successful deployment of the in vitro instrument. Furthermore, exposures to ambient conditions displayed robust changes in gene expression. These results demonstrate a methodology that can produce gas-phase toxicity data in the field.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Vizuete
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Kenneth G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Sexton
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Hang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Smeester
authors.affiliation: Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Kjersti Marie
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Aagaard
authors.affiliation: Division of Maternal Fetal Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shope
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Barry
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lefer
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: James H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Flynn
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Mathew H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Erickson
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Gillings School of Global Public Health, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
authors.forename: Rebecca C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Fry
keywords: air pollutants; air–liquid interface; epithelial lung cell; field campaign; gene expressions; hazardous air pollutants; in vitro