The Utility of Urinary Mirna Profiles as Biomarkers of Pesticide Exposure

Abstract

The Utility of Urinary Mirna Profiles as Biomarkers of Pesticide ExposureAbstract Number:2746 Sara E. Pacheco, Brittany Weldon*, Tomomi Workman, Alex Artemenko, Beti Thompson, Elaine M. Faustman Sara E. Pacheco Institute for Risk Analysis and Risk Communication,University of Washington, United States, E-mail Address: [email protected] Search for more papers by this author , Brittany Weldon* Institute for Risk Analysis and Risk Communication,University of Washington, United States, E-mail Address: [email protected] Search for more papers by this author , Tomomi Workman Institute for Risk Analysis and Risk Communication,University of Washington, United States, E-mail Address: [email protected] Search for more papers by this author , Alex Artemenko Institute for Risk Analysis and Risk Communication,University of Washington, United States, E-mail Address: [email protected] Search for more papers by this author , Beti Thompson Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, United States, E-mail Address: [email protected] Search for more papers by this author , and Elaine M. Faustman Institute for Risk Analysis and Risk Communication,University of Washington, United States, E-mail Address: [email protected] Search for more papers by this author AbstractBackground: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of post-transcriptional regulators that silence messenger RNAs. MiRNAs are stable at room temperature and are long lived, and these characteristics make them useful molecular biomarkers to monitor disease and exposure status. Urine miRNAs have been used clinically as potential diagnostic markers of bladder cancer. However, their utility in non-clinical settings has yet to be elucidated. Objective andMethods: The goal of this project was to identify the miRNAs present in urine field samples 27 parent/child, farmworker/non-farmworker pairs (n=107) collected during two seasons (non-spray and thinning) as part of our Children’s Health Center cohort study in Yakima Valley, WA and characterize the between- and within-individual variability of these miRNAs. MiRNAs were isolated from urine samples using previously optimized methods and identified using PCR-based microarrays. Comparisons were made between age, households, season, and occupation. Findings: Of the 380 miRNAs investigated on the array, 297 (78%) were expressed in at least one sample. In addition, there were 7 miRNAs present in at least 50% of the samples, and 1 miRNA (miR-223) was present in 97% of the samples. In general, households (parent and child combined) expressed fewer miRNAs in their urine during thinning than during non-spray (mean, 31 [range, 3-169] vs. 57 [6-197]). However, this difference was more drastic in adults (mean, 25 [range, 3-130] vs. 74 [6-169]) than children (mean, 38 [6-169] vs. 40 [9-173]) when analyzed separately. The other comparisons are in progress.Conclusions: Initial analyses suggest that there is high variation in the miRNAs present within individuals and households during different seasons. These results will provide valuable insight on the utility of archived field samples for the future development of urine biomarkers. Funded by HHSN2672007023C and HHSN2752008015C (NICHD), P01-ES009601 and P30-ES007033 (NIEHS) and RD-834514 (EPA).