Detection of CYP1A1 mRNA levels and CYP1A1Msp 1 polymorphisms as possible biomarkers of exposure and susceptibility in smokers and non-smokers

Abstract

It is important to determine sensitive biomarkers for both exposure and susceptibility since differences in individual susceptibility to potentially hazardous chemicals may represent a major variable in the assessment of risk. Induction of cytochrome P450IA1 (CYP1A1) may be a measure of environmental exposure to aromatic hydrocarbons in cigarette smoke. This study investigated the use of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to detect constitutive levels of CYP1A1 mRNA in the peripheral lymphocytes of a population of smokers and non-smokers as a potential marker of exposure. In addition, the presence of an Msp 1 restriction fragment length polymorphism was analyzed using a simple PCR method as a biomarker for susceptibility. DNA and RNA were isolated from the peripheral lymphocytes of 20 smokers and a matched group of non-smokers. RT-PCR was used to detect the endogenous levels of CYP1A1 mRNA with glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase as a control gene. The 3'-region of CYP1A1 gene was amplified by PCR and underwent restriction digestion with Msp 1 to detect the polymorphism. The endogenous CYP1A1 expression as detected by RT-PCR was very low and variable and there was a slight but not significant increase in the smokers by comparison with non-smokers. Thirty-two of the volunteers were homozygous for the normal allele while 8 were heterozygous for the uncommon Msp 1 allele and none was homozygous for the polymorphism. The allele frequency (0.1) was found to be in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Since only a slight increase was seen in endogenous CYP1A1 mRNA levels in the peripheral lymphocytes of smokers by comparison with non-smokers, the effect may have been diluted by variation in sensitivity to dose, a threshold of exposure effect, or the return of mRNA to baseline between exposures. The wide variation in mRNA levels may reflect the influence and exposure of different environmental factors. The sensitivity of PCR-based methods suggests that they may have an important role in future overall biomonitoring of exposure and susceptibility to environmental chemicals.