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Profiling epigenetic changes in human cell line induced by atrazine exposure
Oscar F Sánchez1, Li Lin2, Chris J Bryan3
1Davidson School of Chemical Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA; Department of Nutrition and Biochemistry, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Bogotá, 110231, Colombia.
Environmental Pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987)
|December 26, 2019
Summary
Atrazine exposure alters epigenetic marks, decreasing methylated CpG and H3K9me3 in human cells. These molecular changes persist, offering a mechanism for long-term toxicity from this common herbicide.
Area of Science:
- Environmental toxicology
- Epigenetics
- Molecular biology
Background:
- Environmental chemicals can cause molecular-level toxicity with implications for exposed individuals and their progeny.
- Atrazine (ATZ), a widely used herbicide, is a suspected endocrine disruptor, but its long-term molecular toxicity mechanisms are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the molecular mechanisms of Atrazine (ATZ)-induced toxicity by examining changes in epigenetic marks.
- To explore the impact of ATZ exposure on methylated CpG (meCpG) and histone 3 lysine 9 tri-methylated (H3K9me3) in a human cell line.
Main Methods:
- Utilized image-based analysis and data clustering to assess epigenetic modifications after ATZ exposure.
- Quantified changes in meCpG and H3K9me3 levels in human cells treated with specific doses of ATZ.
Main Results:
- Observed significant decreases in meCpG and H3K9me3, with distinct spatial patterns.
- ATZ treatment resulted in the loss of a cell subpopulation characterized by high meCpG levels.
- A similar trend in H3K9me3 suggests potential cross-talk between epigenetic marks.
Conclusions:
- ATZ exposure alters key epigenetic marks, including meCpG and H3K9me3, in human cells.
- These epigenetic alterations are associated with changes in epigenetic enzyme expression and persist even after ATZ removal.
- The study provides a plausible molecular mechanism for the long-term toxicity of Atrazine.
