Gene expression changes in human neural cells exposed to VX (O-ethyl S-[2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl] methylphosphonothiolate)

Organophosphorus compounds may induce neurotoxicity through mechanisms other than the cholinergic pathway, which need to be unraveled by a comprehensive and systematic approach such as genome-wide gene expression analysis. We used microarrays to study gene expression changes in human neural cells after exposure to VX, and identified pathways underlying these changes. Human neural cells were exposed to sublethal concentrations (0, 0.1, 10 μM) of VX. RNA were extracted at different timepoints (0, 6, 24, 72 h) after VX exposure and hybridized to Affymetrix microarrays. Four biological repeats were used for each condition.