Differences in transcriptome response to air pollution exposure between adult residents with and without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Beijing: A panel study

Yuan Yao; Xi Chen; Wu Chen; Yiqun Han; Tao Xue; Junxia Wang; Xinghua Qiu; Chengli Que; Mei Zheng; Tong Zhu

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.125790

Differences in transcriptome response to air pollution exposure between adult residents with and without chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Beijing: A panel study

J Hazard Mater. 2021 Aug 15:416:125790. doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.125790. Epub 2021 Apr 1.

Authors

Yuan Yao¹, Xi Chen², Wu Chen¹, Yiqun Han³, Tao Xue⁴, Junxia Wang¹, Xinghua Qiu¹, Chengli Que⁵, Mei Zheng¹, Tong Zhu⁶

Affiliations

¹ SKL-ESPC and BIC-ESAT, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China.
² SKL-ESPC and BIC-ESAT, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; GRiC, Shenzhen Institute of Building Research Co., Ltd., Shenzhen 518049, China.
³ SKL-ESPC and BIC-ESAT, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, UK.
⁴ SKL-ESPC and BIC-ESAT, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China; Institute of Reproductive and Child Health/Ministry of Health Key Laboratory of Reproductive Health and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China.
⁵ Department of Respiratory Disease, Peking University First Hospital, Peking University, Beijing 100034, China.
⁶ SKL-ESPC and BIC-ESAT, College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China. Electronic address: tzhu@pku.edu.cn.

PMID: 33862484
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.125790

Abstract

Ambient air pollution is a major risk factor for the prevalence and exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Based on the COPDB (COPD in Beijing) panel study, whole-blood transcriptomes were repeatedly measured in 48 COPD patients and 62 healthy participants. Ambient mass concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM_2.5), temperature, and relative humidity were continuously monitored at a monitoring station. The linear mixed-effects models were applied to estimate the associations between logarithmically transformed transcript levels and 1-day (d), 7-d, and 14-d average concentrations of PM_2.5 before the start of follow-up visits. MetaCore™ was used to conduct the pathway enrichment analyses. Exposure to 1-, 7-, and 14-d average concentrations of PM_2.5 was significantly associated with the transcriptome responses in both groups. The top 10, top 100, and top 1000 PM_2.5-associated transcripts differed greatly between the two groups. Among COPD patients, role of alpha-6/beta-4 integrins in carcinoma progression, Notch signaling in breast cancer, and ubiquinone metabolism were the most significantly enriched PM_2.5-associated biological pathways in the three time windows, respectively. In healthy participants, pro-opiomelanocortin processing was the most significant PM_2.5-associated biological pathway in all three time windows. Our findings provide novel insights into the adverse health effects of air pollution exposure.

Keywords: COPD; PM(2.5); Panel study; Pathway enrichment; Transcriptome.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Air Pollutants* / analysis
Air Pollutants* / toxicity
Air Pollution* / analysis
Air Pollution* / statistics & numerical data
Beijing / epidemiology
Environmental Exposure / analysis
Environmental Exposure / statistics & numerical data
Humans
Particulate Matter / analysis
Particulate Matter / toxicity
Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive* / epidemiology
Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive* / genetics
Transcriptome

Substances

Air Pollutants
Particulate Matter