Renal transcriptome-wide analyses in association with kidney black carbon load

Area of Science:

• Environmental Health
• Nephrology
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Inhaled black carbon (BC) can accumulate in kidneys, posing potential risks due to their filtration function.
• Kidney biopsy tissue provides a direct measure of BC particle load and associated molecular changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate gene expression alterations in kidney tissue associated with black carbon (BC) particle load.
• To identify specific pathways and gene ontology terms affected by BC accumulation in the kidneys.

Main Methods:

• Gene expression analysis using Affymetrix microarray on 29 kidney biopsies post-transplantation.
• Transcriptome-wide association analysis and linear regression to link BC load with gene expression.
• Overrepresentation analysis using ConsensusPathDB to identify enriched pathways and gene ontology sets.

Main Results:

• BC particle load in kidney tissue was quantified, with a geometric mean of 5.4 × 10³ particles/mm³.
• BC load associated with altered gene expression in pathways including ciliopathies, anti-inflammatory responses, DNA damage, TP53 regulation, and necrosis.
• Identified BC-associated genes involved in ciliogenesis, ciliary structure, and RNA-related processes like the integrator complex.

Conclusions:

• Kidney BC particle load is associated with significant gene expression changes affecting primary cilia, innate immune response, and DNA damage pathways.
• Findings underscore the potential impact of environmental pollutants like BC on kidney health.
• Highlights the necessity of public health initiatives to mitigate BC exposure and safeguard renal function.