Gene expression changes in human hepatocytes exposed to VX (O-ethyl S-[2-(diisopropylamino)ethyl] methylphosphonothiolate). Homo sapiens

Organophosphorus compounds induce hepatotoxicity through currently unknown mechanisms, 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 hepatocytes after exposure to VX, and identified pathways underlying these changes. Overall design: Human hepatocytes were exposed to sublethal concentrations (0, 0.1, 10 μM) of VX. RNA were extracted at different timepoints (0, 6 h) after VX exposure and hybridized to Affymetrix microarrays. Four biological repeats were used for each condition.