Gene expression analysis identifies potential biomarkers of phenanthrene in human hepatocytes (HepG2)

Abstract

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquious in the environment both as natural products and as environmental contaminants. Among PAHs, phenanthrene (PH) that is ubiquitously distributed throughout the environment was subjected in this study. Although environmental distribution and metabolism of PH have been well reported, there are only a few studies examined the expression of mRNA and their functions on PH-induced toxicity. A new paradigm in toxicity screening, toxicogenomic technology represents a useful approach for evaluating the toxic properties of environmental pollutants. In this respect, we elicited the genes which were changed more than 2-fold by analysis of gene expression profiles in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells, exposed to PH by using human oligonucleotide chip. 913 up- and 814 down-regulated genes changed their expression by more than 2-fold and p-values 0. 05 through PH exposure. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis on these genes revealed significant enrichments in the several key biological processes related to the hepatotoxicity such as cell migration, wound healing, cytoskeleton organization, microtubule-based process, apoptosis, and cell cycle checkpoint. In conclusion, the present study suggests that PH exerts its toxicity by modulating the mRNA expression in HepG2 cells. we suggest that genes expressed by PH as a molecular signature which can be used more widely implemented in combination with more traditional techniques for assessment and prediction of toxicity by exposure to PH. ？ 2011 Korean Society of Environmental Risk Assessment and Health Science and Springer.