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Abstract
BackgroundExposure to pollutants including metals and particulate air pollution can alter DNA methylation. Yet little is known about intra-individual changes in DNA methylation over time in relationship to environmental exposures. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of acute- and chronic metal-rich PM2.5 exposures on DNA methylation.MethodsThirty-eight male boilermaker welders participated in a panel study for a total of 54 person days. Whole blood was collected prior to any welding activities (pre-shift) and immediately after the exposure period (post-shift). The percentage of methylated cytosines (%mC) in LINE-1, Alu, and inducible nitric oxide synthase gene (iNOS) were quantified using pyrosequencing. Personal PM2.5 (particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μm) was measured over the work-shift. A questionnaire assessed job history and years worked as a boilermaker. Linear mixed models with repeated measures evaluated associations between DNA methylation, PM2.5 concentration (acute exposure), and years worked as a boilermaker (chronic exposure).ResultsPM2.5 exposure was associated with increased methylation in the promoter region of the iNOS gene (β = 0.25, SE: 0.11, p-value = 0.04). Additionally, the number of years worked as a boilermaker was associated with increased iNOS methylation (β = 0.03, SE: 0.01, p-value = 0.03). No associations were observed for Alu or LINE-1.ConclusionsAcute and chronic exposure to PM2.5 generated from welding activities was associated with a modest change in DNA methylation of the iNOS gene. Future studies are needed to confirm this association and determine if the observed small increase in iNOS methylation are associated with changes in NO production or any adverse health effect.
Highlights
Exposure to pollutants including metals and particulate air pollution can alter DNA methylation
To evaluate the association between DNA methylation and chronic exposure to PM2.5, linear mixed effect models evaluated the relationship between the number of years each participant worked as a boilermaker and DNA methylation (Table 5). These models suggested that chronic exposure to welding fumes, as characterized by years worked as a boilermaker, were associated with small increases in methylation of the promoter region within the inducible nitric oxide synthase gene (iNOS) gene (β = 0.03, SE: 0.01, p-value = 0.03) after adjusting for current smoking status and ageRS
The number of years worked as a boilermaker was associated with modest increased DNA methylation in the iNOS gene
Summary
Exposure to pollutants including metals and particulate air pollution can alter DNA methylation. Epidemiological studies show that chronic exposure to welding fumes are associated with respiratory health effects including cardiovascular disease, asthma, bronchitis, lung function changes, and increased risk of lung cancer [4,5,6,7,8,9,10]. Data from previous studies shows that many of the metals detected in welding fumes including nickel, lead, cadmium, chromium, beryllium, and arsenic are associated with altered DNA methylation [17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27]. It is possible that epigenetic changes may provide a potential mechanism by which welding fumes are linked to adverse biological effects
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