Realistic biomarkers from plasma extracellular vesicles for detection of beryllium exposure

Exposures related to beryllium (Be) are an enduring concern among workers in the nuclear weapons and other high-tech industries, calling for regular and rigorous biological monitoring. Conventional biomonitoring of Be in urine is not informative of cumulative exposure nor health outcomes. Biomarkers of exposure to Be based on non-invasive biomonitoring could help refine disease risk assessment. In a cohort of workers with Be exposure, we employed blood plasma extracellular vesicles (EVs) to discover novel biomarkers of exposure to Be.

EVs were isolated from plasma using size-exclusion chromatography and subjected to mass spectrometry-based proteomics. A protein-based classifier was developed using LASSO regression and validated by ELISA.

We discovered a dual biomarker signature comprising zymogen granule protein 16B and putative protein FAM10A4 that differentiated between Be-exposed and -unexposed subjects. ELISA-based quantification of the biomarkers in an independent cohort of samples confirmed higher expression of the signature in the Be-exposed group, displaying high predictive accuracy (AUROC = 0.919). Furthermore, the biomarkers efficiently discriminated high- and low-exposure groups (AUROC = 0.749).

This is the first report of EV biomarkers associated with Be exposure and exposure levels. The biomarkers could be implemented in resource-limited settings for Be exposure assessment.