A network biology-based approach to evaluating the effect of environmental contaminants on human interactome and diseases

Abstract

Environmental contaminant exposure can pose significant risks to human health. Therefore, evaluating the impact of this exposure is of great importance; however, it is often difficult because both the molecular mechanism of disease and the mode of action of the contaminants are complex. We used network biology techniques to quantitatively assess the impact of environmental contaminants on the human interactome and diseases with a particular focus on seven major contaminant categories: persistent organic pollutants (POPs), dioxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pesticides, perfluorochemicals (PFCs), metals, and pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs). We integrated publicly available data on toxicogenomics, the diseasome, protein-protein interactions (PPIs), and gene essentiality and found that a few contaminants were targeted to many genes, and a few genes were targeted by many contaminants. The contaminant targets were hub proteins in the human PPI network, whereas the target proteins in most categories did not contain abundant essential proteins. Generally, contaminant targets and disease-associated proteins were closely associated with the PPI network, and the closeness of the associations depended on the disease type and chemical category. Network biology techniques were used to identify environmental contaminants with broad effects on the human interactome and contaminant-sensitive biomarkers. Moreover, this method enabled us to quantify the relationship between environmental contaminants and human diseases, which was supported by epidemiological and experimental evidence. These methods and findings have facilitated the elucidation of the complex relationship between environmental exposure and adverse health outcomes.

Multitrait Pseudomonas sp. isolated from the rhizosphere of Bergenia ciliata acts as a growth-promoting bioinoculant for plants

“…After bacterization, the seeds were placed on the Petri plates containing layers of moist filter paper. The seeds were then allowed to germinate at 28 ± 2 • C. The appearance of a 2-5 mm radicle was considered an initiation of seed germination (Iida and Takemoto, 2018).…”

Perspectives of Microbial Inoculation for Sustainable Development and Environmental Management

“…Even if agrochemicals are needed in the face of increasing concerns for food security, they have been shown to have potent impacts on both the environment and people, indicated by clusters of diseases, such as cancers, neurological diseases, fertility issues, and mental and physical disabilities (Iida and Takemoto, 2018). A reduction in agrochemicals use may lead to healthy crops and healthier environments (Frische et al, 2018).…”

A Zn‐Based Metal‐Organic Framework Modified by CuCl2 Under Ambient Conditions for Simultaneous Ultrasonic‐Assisted Removal of Pb and Cd Ions with Fast Kinetics from Aqueous Solution

“…Cadmium concentrations in offal products such as liver and kidney are also high. Cd levels are high in some plants and vegetables, such as cocoa beans, wild mushrooms, rice and wheat, carrots, and potatoes [2–27] . Cadmium is found primarily in bottom sediment and particles suspended in low concentrations in natural water.…”

“…[2,7] Lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium, and chromium (IV) are the most toxic heavy metal ions. [3,8] The most significant sources of heavy metals discharged into the environ-ment are mining operations, metal plating facilities, paper and textile industries, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, tanneries, and batteries. [4,9] Lead is an extremely toxic metal naturally ubiquitous in the environment at trace levels in water, soil, and plants.…”

“…While all organisms require varying amounts of heavy metals, such as iron, zinc, copper, and chromium, for proper growth, they can be toxic and harmful at high concentrations [2,7] . Lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium, and chromium (IV) are the most toxic heavy metal ions [3,8] . The most significant sources of heavy metals discharged into the environment are mining operations, metal plating facilities, paper and textile industries, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, tanneries, and batteries [4,9] …”