Alterations of gene expression in human peripheral lymphocytes after exposure to cigarette smoke condensate in vitro

Little is known about alteration of the global gene expression by cigarette smoke (CS) and few biomarkers for smoking-related harm are available. We used Affymetrix HG-U133A GeneChips to measure the transcriptomes in eight cultured lymphocyte samples exposed to cigarette smoke condensate (CSC) in vitro . The in vitro exposure of lymphocytes to CSC significantly changed expression levels of 2,266 genes many of which biologically interacted. They included genes encoding for xenobiotic metabolism and oxidative stress-response (e.g. Nrf2 and AhR signaling pathways), inflammation/immune response (e.g. cytokines), apoptosis, cell cycle and tumorigenesis. However, the magnitude of expression responses for some genes showed high inter-individual variability. Keywords: toxic effects on gene expression The goals of this study were to evaluate novel gene expression profiles and pathways affected by cigarette smoke condensate (CSC), and to identify potential biomarkers for cigarette smoke exposure and harm. To this end, we isolated the PBMC from eight light smokers, cultured the cells in vitro and exposed them to 2R4F CSC, then determined the gene expression profiles with Affymetrix microarray and analyzed alteration of global gene expression after exposure to CSC.