Publications (2)6.55 Total impact
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Article: Benzo[a]pyrene-induced changes in microRNA-mRNA networks.
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ABSTRACT: Toxicological studies assessing the safety of compounds for humans frequently use in vitro systems to characterize toxic responses in combination with transcriptomic analyses. Thus far, changes have mostly been investigated at the mRNA level. Recently, microRNAs have attracted attention because they are powerful negative regulators of mRNA levels and, thus, may be responsible for the modulation of important mRNA networks implicated in toxicity. This study aimed to identify possible microRNA-mRNA networks as novel interactions on the gene expression level after a genotoxic insult. We used benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, as a model genotoxic/carcinogenic compound. We analyzed time-dependent effects on mRNA and microRNA profiles in HepG2 cells, a widely used human liver cell line that expresses active p53 and is competent for the biotransformation of BaP. Changes in microRNA expression in response to BaP, in combination with multiple alterations of mRNA levels, were observed. Many of these altered mRNAs are targets of altered microRNAs. Using pathway analysis, we evaluated the relevance of such microRNA deregulations to genotoxicity. This revealed eight microRNAs that appear to participate in specific BaP-responsive pathways relevant to genotoxicity, such as apoptotic signaling, cell cycle arrest, DNA damage response, and DNA damage repair. Our results particularly highlight the potential of microRNA-29b, microRNA-26a-1*, and microRNA-122* as novel players in the BaP response. Therefore, this study demonstrates the added value of an integrated microRNA-mRNA approach for identifying molecular mechanisms induced by BaP in an in vitro human model.Chemical Research in Toxicology 02/2012; 25(4):838-49. · 3.78 Impact Factor -
Article: Effect of Trichostatin A on miRNA expression in cultures of primary rat hepatocytes.
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ABSTRACT: In the present study, the effect of Trichostatin A (TSA), a histone deacetylase inhibitor, was investigated on the microRNA (miR, miRNA) expression profile in cultured primary rat hepatocytes by means of microarray analysis. Simultaneously, albumin secretory capacity and morphological features of the hepatocytes were evaluated throughout the culture time. In total, 25 out of 348 miRNAs were found to be differentially expressed between freshly isolated hepatocytes and 7-day cultured cells. Nineteen of these miRNAs were connected with 'general metabolism'. miR-21 and miR-126 were shown to be the most up and down regulated miRs upon cultivation and could be linked to the proliferative response triggered in the hepatocytes upon their isolation from the liver. miR-379 and miR-143, on the other hand, were found to be the most up and down regulated miRs upon TSA treatment. Together with the higher expression of miR-122 observed in TSA-treated versus non-treated cultures, we hypothesize that the changes observed for miR-122, miR-143 and miR-379 could be related to the inhibitory effects of TSA on hepatocellular proliferation.Toxicology in Vitro 04/2011; 25(6):1173-82. · 2.78 Impact Factor
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Institutions
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2012
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Maastricht University
Maastricht, Provincie Limburg, Netherlands
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