Air toxics and epigenetic effects: ozone altered microRNAs in the sputum of human subjects

Abstract

. Air toxics and epigenetic effects: ozone altered microRNAs in the sputum of human subjects.

Architecture in 3D cell culture: An essential feature for in vitro toxicology

“…As an example of gene expression impact, long noncoding RNAs have become of high interest due to their dysregulation associated with cancers, and Alzheimer’s, cardiovascular and autoimmune diseases, as well as to the influence of exposures to chemicals and xenobiotics on their regulation (Dempsey and Cui, 2016). Similar observations of perturbed control of microRNAs and gene-specific CpG methylation associated with the response to environmental contaminants or toxicants and increased disease risk have been made (Koturbash et al, 2012; Fry et al, 2014; Sollome et al, 2016; Martin and Fry, 2016). An impact on the integrity of DNA can be measured by the response to DNA damage with redistribution or foci-like appearance of proteins such as 53BP1 or γH2AX, as it was shown in toxicity tests of dental composite components on gingival fibroblasts (Styllou et al, 2015).…”

Environmental Pollution and the Developing Lung

“…49 Indirect evidence suggests that some air pollution effects on the inflammatory responses may be mediated by epigenetic changes to adaptive immune responses in offspring. 50,51 Maternal smoking has differential effects on DNA methylation in placenta, 52 cord blood and on somatic cells 53 in offspring, but direct evidence for imprinted genes that affect respiratory response is lacking so far. Maternal tobacco smoking has been linked to abnormal lung development in offspring through multiple pathways, 54 including vascular disruption, 55 altered airway structure, 56 and impaired ventilatory regulation.…”

Molecular biomarkers to assess health risks due to environmental contaminants exposure

“…miRNAs have been assessed in cell lines (125), human primary cell cultures (126)(127)(128), human peripheral blood leukocytes (129), tissues (122,130,131) and different body fluids (123,132,133). The latter surrogate samples have been widely used in oncology studies due to miRNA localization in microparticles and exosomes that confer high stability (123).…”

“…miRNA expression has been linked to exposure to environmental stressors, and altered miRNA levels have been associated with exposure to ambient particulate matter (127), DE and DEP (126,127), metals (129,133), cigarette smoke (122,125,134), asbestos (128), carbon black nanoparticles (131), ozone (132) and others.…”