Emissions generated by sugarcane burning promote genotoxicity in rural workers: a case study in Barretos, Brazil

Background: To determine the possible genotoxic effect of exposure to the smoke generated by biomass burning on workers involved in manual sugar cane harvesting. Methods: The frequency of micronuclei in exfoliated buccal cells and peripheral blood lymphocytes was determined in sugarcane workers in the Barretos region of Brazil, during the harvest season and compared to a control population, comprised of administrative employees of Barretos Cancer Hospital. Results: The frequency of micronuclei was higher in the sugar cane workers. The mean frequency in blood lymphocytes (micronuclei/1000 cells) in the test group was 8.22 versus 1.27 in the control group. The same effect was observed when exfoliated buccal cells were considered (22.75 and 9.70 micronuclei/1000 cells for sugar cane workers and controls, respectively). Conclusion: Exposure to emissions produced by the burning of sugar cane during harvesting induces genomic instability in workers, indicating the necessity of adopting more advanced techniques of harvesting sugar cane to preserve human health.We thank the Researcher Support Center of Barretos Cancer Hospital, especially the statistician Zanardo C. for assisting in the statistical analysis. We thank Oliveira R. for technical support, and we acknowledge financial support from FAPESP Proc. 2010/10192-6

Estudos das proteínas ligantes à DCRA e DSCR1 (envolvidas com a síndrome de Down) utilizando a metodologia do duplo-híbrido.

The genes DCRA and DSCR1 are located in the Down Syndrome Critical Region , a specific portion of human chromosome 21 responsible for the main traits of the disease. In the present work we have used the two-hybrid system as an approach to find proteins that interact with DCRA and DSCR1. This method is based on the properties of the yeast GAL4 protein, which consists of separable domains responsible for DNA-binding and transcriptional activation. The open reading frames of DCRA and DSCR1 were cloned in frame with the GAL4 DNA-binding domain. These constructions were used to analyse protein interactions using a human foetal brain cDNA library, cloned in frame with the GAL4 transcriptional activation domain. No DCRA protein partners were found in any of the screenings performed; nevertheless, the analysis allowed the detection of several false positive clones. In the analysis of DSCR1 we identified two proteins, UXT (ubiquitously expressed transcript) and APLP1 (amyloid precursor-like protein 1). These results may help elucidate a new function for DSCR1 in the nucleus, probably related gene expresion.Os genes DCRA e DSCR1 estão localizados no cromossomo 21 mais especificamente na Região Crítica da Síndrome de Down que, em triplicata é responsável por alguns fenótipos da Síndrome. Neste projeto, visando encontrar proteínas que interagem com as proteínas DCRA e DSCR1, foi empregado o método do Duplo- Híbrido que utiliza as propriedades da proteína GAL 4 de levedura Saccharomyces Cerevisiae. Com esta finalidade fez-se a sub-clonagem das ORFs DCRA e DSCR1 em plasmídeos que contém um domínio de ligação ao DNA da proteína GAL 4. Estas construções foram utilizadas para analisar possíveis interações proteícas utilizando uma biblioteca de cérebro fetal construída em um plasmídeo em fase com o domínio de ativação da transcrição da proteína GAL 4. Nas análises com a proteína DCRA não foi possível confirmar nenhuma interação, porém possibilitou o estabelecimento de vários falso positivos dentro da técnica. Por outro lado, identificação de novos ligantes a proteína DSCR1, que são as proteínas UXT e APLP1, revela um novo papel da DSCR1 dentro da célula, provavelmente relacionado à regulação gênica

promote genotoxicity in rural workers: a case study in Barretos, Brazil Open Access

Background: To determine the possible genotoxic effect of exposure to the smoke generated by biomass burning on workers involved in manual sugar cane harvesting. Methods: The frequency of micronuclei in exfoliated buccal cells and peripheral blood lymphocytes was determined in sugarcane workers in the Barretos region of Brazil, during the harvest season and compared to a control population, comprised of administrative employees of Barretos Cancer Hospital. Results: The frequency of micronuclei was higher in the sugar cane workers. The mean frequency in blood lymphocytes (micronuclei/1000 cells) in the test group was 8.22 versus 1.27 in the control group. The same effect was observed when exfoliated buccal cells were considered (22.75 and 9.70 micronuclei/1000 cells for sugar cane workers and controls, respectively). Conclusion: Exposure to emissions produced by the burning of sugar cane during harvesting induces genomic instability in workers, indicating the necessity of adopting more advanced techniques of harvesting sugar cane to preserve human health

Methylation of the hsa-miR-124, SOX1, TERT, and LMX1A genes as biomarkers for precursor lesions in cervical cancer

The methylation profile of genes in precursor lesions in cervical cancer was characterized to improve screening techniques for high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia.Objectives The methylation profile of genes in precursor lesions in cervical cancer was characterized to improve screening techniques for high-grade intraepithelial neoplasia. Methods A total of 447 cervical cytology samples obtained from women who underwent colposcopy were examined. The cases were distributed as follows: (1) cervices without cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN; n = 152); (2) cervices with a CIN grade of 1 (CIN 1; n = 147); and (3) cervices with a CIN grade of 2 or 3 (CIN 2/3; n = 148). The methylation pattern for a panel of 15 genes was analysed by quantitative methylation-specific PCR (qMSP) and compared between the groups (≤CIN 1 vs. CIN 2+). Results In the validation set, seven genes presented significantly different methylation profiles according to diagnosis, namely, DAPK1 (p = 0.001), EPB41L3 (p = 0.001), HIC1 (p = 0.028), hsa-miR-124-2 (p = 0.001), LMX1A (p = 0.001), SOX1 (p = 0.001), and TERT (p = 0.001). Six genes showed a significant increase in the frequency of methylation in the presence of hr-HPV, namely, DAPK1 (p = 0.001), EPB41L3 (p = 0.001), hsa-miR-124-2 (p = 0.001), LMX1A (p = 0.001), SOX1 (p = 0.001), and TERT (p = 0.001). The methylation of the hsa-miR-124 gene showed sensitivity and specificity (86.7% and 61.3%, respectively) similar to that of the HPV test (91.3% and 50.0%, respectively). The independent factors associated with the diagnosis of CIN 2+ and the methylation of the hsa-miR-124-2 (OR = 5.1), SOX1 (OR = 2.8), TERT (OR = 2.2), and LMX1A (OR = 2.0) genes were a positive test for hr-HPV (odds ratio [OR] = 5.5). Conclusions Hypermethylation of the hsa-miR-124-2, SOX1, TERT, and LMX1A genes may be a promising biomarker for precursor lesions in cervical cancer regardless of the hr-HPV status.São Paulo Research Foundation (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo–FAPESP) with the cooperation of the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico–CNPq-PPSUS) (Protocol Nos. 12/51221-4, 14/50014-0, 14/24415-8, and 15/15065-6), the National Institute of Science and Technology (Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia–INCT-HPV) (FAPESP Proc. No. 2008/578891 and CNPq Proc. No. 573799/2008-3), and CAPES (PROSUP/CAPES Protocol No. 1571815)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio