Whole Genome Expression in Peripheral-Blood Samples of Workers Professionally Exposed to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons

ABSTRACT: This study aims to examine global gene expression profiles before and after the work-shift among coke-oven workers (COW). COW work six consecutive days and then take two days off. Two blood and urine samples in each worker were collected before starting to work after two-days off and end-of-shift in the sixth-day work in 2009. Altered gene expressions (ratio of gene expression levels between end-of-shift and pre-shift work) were performed by Human OneArray expression system which probes ~30,000-transcription expression profiling of human genes. Sixteen workers, all men, were enrolled in this study. Median urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1OHP) levels (mole/mole creatinine) in end-of-shift work were significantly higher than those in pre-shift work (2.58 vs. 0.29, p = 0.0002). Among the 20,341 genes which passed experimental quality control, 26 gene expression changes, 7 positively- and 19 negatively-, were highly correlated with across-the-shift urinary 1OHP levels (end-of-shift – pre-shift 1OHP) (p-value < 0.001). The high and low exposure groups of across-the-shift urinary 1OHP levels dichotomized in ~2.00 µmole/mole creatinine were able to be distinguished by these 26 genes. Some of them are known to be involved in apoptosis, chromosome stability/DNA repair, cell cycle control/tumor suppressor, cell adhesion, development/spermatogenesis, immune function, and neuronal cell function. Sixteen coke-oven workers who had worked in one of two coke-oven plants for at least one year in the largest steel company in Taiwan voluntarily participated in this study between July-October, 2009. Coke-oven workers regularly work 6 days and take two days off. Thus, we collected their blood and urine samples at two different time points: one was during the pre-shift work on the first day after two days off, and the second one was at the end-of-shift work on the 6th work day. Information about age and smoking status was also collected before the collection of biological specimens.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

SUBMITTER: Tzu Chi Lee 

PROVIDER: E-GEOD-30504 | biostudies-arrayexpress |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress