| Applications of Gene Arrays in Environmental Toxicology: Fingerprints of Gene Regulation Associated with Cadmium Chloride, Benzo(a)pyrene, and Trichloroethylene Matthew Bartosiewicz,1 Sharron Penn,2 and Alan Buckpitt1 1Department of Molecular Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, USA
2Molecular Dynamics, Sunnyvale, California, USA Abstract
Toxicity testing of unknown chemicals currently uses a number of short-term bioassays. These tests are costly and time consuming, require large numbers of animals, and generally focus on a single end point. The recent development of DNA arrays provides a potential mechanism for increasing the efficiency of standard toxicity testing through genome-wide assessments of gene regulation. In this study, we used DNA arrays containing 148 genes for xenobiotic metabolizing enzymes, DNA repair enzymes, heat shock proteins, cytokines, and housekeeping genes to examine gene expression patterns in the liver in response to cadmium chloride, benzo(a) pyrene (BaP) , and trichloroethylene (TCE) . Dose-response studies were carried out in mice for each chemical ; each produced a unique pattern of gene induction. As expected, CdCl2 markedly up-regulated metallothionine I and II (5- to 10,000-fold at the highest doses) and several of the heat shock/stress response proteins and early response genes. In contrast, administration of BaP up-regulated only Cyp1a1 and Cyp1a2 genes and produced no significant increases in any of the stress response genes or any of the DNA repair genes present on the array. Likewise, TCE-induced gene induction was highly selective ; only Hsp 25 and 86 and Cyp2a were up-regulated at the highest dose tested. Microarray analysis with a highly focused set of genes is capable of discriminating between different classes of toxicants and has potential for differentiating highly noxious versus more subtle toxic agents. These data suggest that use of microarrays to evaluate the potential hazards of unknown chemicals or chemical mixtures must include multiple doses and time points to provide effective assessments of potential toxicity of these substances. Key words: benzo(a) pyrene, cadmium chloride, DNA arrays, gene expression, trichloroethylene. Environ Health Perspect 109:71-74 (2001) . [Online 15 December 2000] http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/2001/109p71-74bartosiewicz/ abstract.html Address correspondence to M. Bartosiewicz, Department of Molecular Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Haring Hall, UC Davis, Davis, CA 95616 USA. Telephone: (530) 752-0793. Fax: (530) 752-4698. E-mail: mjbartosiewicz@ucdavis.edu This research was supported by NIEHS P42 04699 and R01-ES09681. UC Davis is an NIEHS Environmental Health Center (ES 05707) , and the use of core facilities to conduct this work is gratefully acknowledged. Received 5 May 2000 ; accepted 27 September 2000.
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