Dataset Information

Examining smoking-induced differential gene expression changes in buccal mucosa.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Gene expression changes resulting from conditions such as disease, environmental stimuli, and drug use, can be monitored in the blood. However, a less invasive method of sample collection is of interest because of the discomfort and specialized personnel necessary for blood sampling especially if multiple samples are being collected. Buccal mucosa cells are easily collected and may be an alternative sample material for biomarker testing. A limited number of studies, primarily in the smoker/oral cancer literature, address this tissue's efficacy as an RNA source for expression analysis. The current study was undertaken to determine if total RNA isolated from buccal mucosa could be used as an alternative tissue source to assay relative gene expression.

Methods

Total RNA was isolated from swabs, reverse transcribed and amplified. The amplified cDNA was used in RT-qPCR and microarray analyses to evaluate gene expression in buccal cells. Initially, RT-qPCR was used to assess relative transcript levels of four genes from whole blood and buccal cells collected from the same seven individuals, concurrently. Second, buccal cell RNA was used for microarray-based differential gene expression studies by comparing gene expression between a group of female smokers and nonsmokers.

Results

An amplification protocol allowed use of less buccal cell total RNA (50 ng) than had been reported previously with human microarrays. Total RNA isolated from buccal cells was degraded but was of sufficient quality to be used with RT-qPCR to detect expression of specific genes. We report here the finding of a small number of statistically significant differentially expressed genes between smokers and nonsmokers, using buccal cells as starting material. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis confirmed that these genes had a similar expression pattern to results from another study.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that despite a high degree of degradation, RNA from buccal cells from cheek mucosa could be used to detect differential gene expression between smokers and nonsmokers. However the RNA degradation, increase in sample variability and microarray failure rate show that buccal samples should be used with caution as source material in expression studies.

SUBMITTER: Kupfer DM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3161387 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Examining smoking-induced differential gene expression changes in buccal mucosa.

Kupfer Doris M DM White Vicky L VL Jenkins Marita C MC Burian Dennis D

BMC medical genomics 20100624

<h4>Background</h4>Gene expression changes resulting from conditions such as disease, environmental stimuli, and drug use, can be monitored in the blood. However, a less invasive method of sample collection is of interest because of the discomfort and specialized personnel necessary for blood sampling especially if multiple samples are being collected. Buccal mucosa cells are easily collected and may be an alternative sample material for biomarker testing. A limited number of studies, primarily ...[more]

PMID: 20576139

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Project description:A tissue like buccal mucosa (from cheek swabs) would be an ideal sample material for rapid, easy collection for testing of biomarkers as an alternative to blood. A limited number of studies, primarily in the smoker/oral cancer literature, address this tissue's efficacy for quantitative PCR or microarray gene expression analysis. In this study both qPCR and microarray analyses were used to evaluate gene expression in buccal cells. An initial study comparing blood and buccal cells from the same individuals looked at relative amounts of four genes. The RNA isolated from buccal cells was degraded but was of sufficient quality to be used with RT-qPCR to detect expression of specific genes. Second, buccal cell RNA was used for microarray-based differential gene expression studies by comparing gene expression between smokers and nonsmokers. The isolation and amplification protocol allowed use of 150-fold less buccal cell RNA than had been reported previously with human microarrays. We report here the finding of a small number of significant gene expression differences between smokers and nonsmokers, using buccal cells as target material. Additionally, Gene Set Enrichment Analysis confirmed that these genes were changing expression in the same pattern as seen in an earlier buccal cell study performed by another group. Our results suggest that in spite of a high degree of RNA degradation, buccal cells from cheek mucosa could be used to detect differential gene expression between smokers and nonsmokers. However the RNA degradation, increase in sample variability and microarray failure rate show that buccal samples should be used with caution as source material in expression studies. Samples were collected from eight subjects, four smokers (Sm)and four nonsmokers (NS). Each cheek was sampled creating an a and b sample for each subject which is reflected in the array name. All samples were isolated separately for total RNA. Each was hybridzed to microarrays to examine for differential gene expression between smokers and nonsmokers. There are 14 total samples in the main dataset (Set 2). One cheek sample failed in microarray analysis for two individuals, 08BCNS23 a and 08BCSm27 a, and so are not included here. A sample set (Set 1) was created which contains the four samples shown in this file. They represent repeated sampling of both cheeks for two individuals to test for reproducibility. There is a separate RMA file and metadata file (this file) for these data. These included samples 08BC11Sm a and b, a smoker, and 08BC12NSa and b a nonsmoker.

Project description:Cigarette smoking is a leading cause of preventable death and a significant cause of lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Prior studies have demonstrated that smoking creates a field of molecular injury throughout the airway epithelium exposed to cigarette smoke. We have previously characterized gene expression in the bronchial epithelium of never smokers and identified the gene expression changes that occur in the mainstem bronchus in response to smoking. In this study, we explored relationships in whole-genome gene expression between extrathorcic (buccal and nasal) and intrathoracic (bronchial) epithelium in healthy current and never smokers.Using genes that have been previously defined as being expressed in the bronchial airway of never smokers (the "normal airway transcriptome"), we found that bronchial and nasal epithelium from non-smokers were most similar in gene expression when compared to other epithelial and nonepithelial tissues, with several antioxidant, detoxification, and structural genes being highly expressed in both the bronchus and nose. Principle component analysis of previously defined smoking-induced genes from the bronchus suggested that smoking had a similar effect on gene expression in nasal epithelium. Gene set enrichment analysis demonstrated that this set of genes was also highly enriched among the genes most altered by smoking in both nasal and buccal epithelial samples. The expression of several detoxification genes was commonly altered by smoking in all three respiratory epithelial tissues, suggesting a common airway-wide response to tobacco exposure.Our findings support a relationship between gene expression in extra- and intrathoracic airway epithelial cells and extend the concept of a smoking-induced field of injury to epithelial cells that line the mouth and nose. This relationship could potentially be utilized to develop a non-invasive biomarker for tobacco exposure as well as a non-invasive screening or diagnostic tool providing information about individual susceptibility to smoking-induced lung diseases.

Dataset Information

Examining smoking-induced differential gene expression changes in buccal mucosa.

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Examining smoking-induced differential gene expression changes in buccal mucosa.

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