Title
Genomic analysis suggests higher susceptibility of children to air pollution
Author
van Leeuwen, D.M.
Pedersen, M.
Hendriksen, P.J.M.
Boorsma, A.
van Herwijnen, M.H.M.
Gottschalk, R.W.H.
Kirsch-Volders, M.
Knudsen, L.E.
Šrám, R.J.
Bajak, E.
van Delft, J.H.M.
Kleinjans, J.C.S.
TNO Kwaliteit van Leven
Publication year
2008
Abstract
Differences in biological responses to exposure to hazardous airborne substances between children and adults have been reported, suggesting children to be more susceptible. Aim of this study was to improve our understanding of differences in susceptibility in cancer risk associated with air pollution by comparing genome-wide gene expression profiles in peripheral blood of children and their parents. Gene expression analysis was performed in blood from children and parents living in two different regions in the Czech Republic with different levels of air pollution. Data were analyzed by two different approaches: one method first selected significantly differentially expressed genes and analyzed these gene lists for overrepresented biological processes, whereas the other applied the T-profiler tool to directly perform pathway analyses on the total gene set without preselection of significantly modulated gene expressions. In addition, gene expressions in both children and adults were investigated for associations with micronuclei frequencies. Both analysis approaches returned considerably more genes or gene groups and pathways that significantly differed between children from both regions than between parents. Very little overlap was observed between children and adults. The two most important biological processes or molecular functions significantly modulated in children, but not in adults, are nucleosome and immune response related. Our study suggests differences between children and adults in relation to air pollution exposure at the transcriptome level. The findings underline the necessity of implementing environmental health policy measures specifically for protecting children's health. © The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
Subject
Health
Physiological Sciences
transcriptome
adult
air pollution
article
blood analysis
cancer risk
cancer susceptibility
child
child health
controlled study
Czech Republic
data analysis
environmental exposure
environmental health
female
gene expression
gene expression profiling
genomics
human
immune response
male
micronucleus
nucleosome
parent
priority journal
Adult
Air Pollution
Child
Czech Republic
Female
Gene Expression Profiling
Gene Expression Regulation
Genetic Predisposition to Disease
Humans
Male
Nuclear Family
Parents
Receptors, Chemokine
RNA
RNA Splicing
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:6f65f233-5375-4625-be50-16d76353bff2
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1093/carcin/bgn065
TNO identifier
240776
ISSN
0143-3334
Source
Carcinogenesis, 29 (5), 977-983
Document type
article