Alterations of DNA methylome during chemical carcinogenesis. Mus musculus

Similar to other genotoxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is known to produce stable DNA adducts and other DNA damage. BaP is a powerful carcinogen and can induce tumors in the accessory sex organs (including prostate) of rodents. In the present study, we have investigated the potential role of BaP as an epimutagen in vivo during chemical carcinogenesis. We have analyzed the DNA methylation profile, genome-wide, of seminal vesicles of Big Blue® mice exposed to chronic doses of BaP over a period of 6 weeks, both immediately after the termination of exposure and several weeks after-treatment in mice that have developed tumors on the accessory sex organs. Mice treated with chronic doses of DMSO (sham) were used as control. Overall design: We have used a genome-wide microarray-based approach to catalogue the DNA methylation profile in the seminal vesicles of mice injected intraperitoneally with chronic doses of BaP (experimental) or DMSO (control).