Genome-Wide Profiling of Exosomal Long Noncoding RNAs Following Air Pollution Exposure: A Randomized, Crossover Trial

Changes in human genome-wide long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs)
associated
with air pollution are unknown. This study aimed to investigate the
effect of air pollution on human exosomal lncRNAs. A randomized, crossover
trial was conducted among 35 healthy adults. Participants were allocated
to 4 h exposure in road (high air pollution) and park (low air pollution)
sessions in random order with a 2 week washout period. RNA sequencing
was performed to measure lncRNAs. Differential lncRNAs were identified
using a linear mixed-effect model. Mean concentrations of air pollutants
such as ultrafine particles (UFP), black carbon (BC), carbon monoxide
(CO), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) were 2–3 times
higher in the road than those in the park. Fifty-five lncRNAs [false
discovery rate (FDR) < 0.05] including lncRNA NORAD, MALAT1, and
H19 were changed in response to air pollution exposure. We found that
54 lncRNAs were associated with CO, 49 lncRNAs with UFP, 49 lncRNAs
with BC, 48 lncRNAs with NO2, and 4 lncRNAs with PM2.5 (FDR < 0.05). These differential lncRNAs participated
in dozens of pathways including cardiovascular signaling, epithelial
cell proliferation, inflammation, and transforming growth factor.
This trial for the first time profiled changes of human exosomal lncRNAs
following air pollution. Our findings revealed multiple biological
processes moderated by lncRNAs and provided epigenetic insights into
cardiovascular effects of air pollution.