Iron nanoparticles significantly affect the in vitro and in vivo expression of Id genes

In recent DNA microarray studies, we found that the transcription of the Id3 gene was significantly down-regulated in five cell lines (RAW264.7, Hepa1-6, THP-1, HepG2, and HL7702) treated with two doses (50 and 100 μg/mL) of a DMSA-coated magnetite nanoparticle. Given the regulatory roles of Id genes in the cell cycle, growth, and differentiation, we wanted to do more investigations on the effect of the nanoparticle upon the Id genes. This study detected the expression of Id genes in six cell lines (the above cell lines plus HeLa) treated with the nanoparticle at the same doses using quantitative PCR. The results revealed that the expression of Id genes was significantly affected by the nanoparticle in these cell lines. Under each treatment, the Id3 gene was significantly (p < 0.01) down-regulated in all cell lines, the Id1 gene was significantly down-regulated in all cell lines except the RAW264.7 cells, and the Id2 gene was significantly down-regulated in the HepG2, HL7702, and HeLa cells. Because the Id1, Id2, and Id3 genes were significantly down-regulated in three liver-derived cell lines (Hepa1-6, HepG2, and HL7702) in both microarray and PCR detections, this study then detected the expression of Id genes in the liver tissues of mice that were intravenously injected with the nanoparticle at two doses (2 and 5 mg/kg body weight). The results revealed that the expression of Id1, Id2, and Id3 genes was also significantly down-regulated in the liver tissues under each treatment. Another Id gene, Id4, was also significantly regulated in some cells or liver tissues treated with the nanoparticle. These results reveal that the nanoparticle exerts a significant effect on the in vitro and in vivo expression of Id genes. This study thus provides new insights into the Id-related nanotoxicity of the nanoparticle and the close relationship between the regulation of Id genes and iron.