Changes in Gene Expression by 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-Dioxin in the Liver of C57BL/6 Mice

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is one of the most toxic environmental pollutants that cause various biological effects on mammals. The purpose of our study was to identify genes involved in hepatotoxicity and hepatocarcinogenesis induced by TCDD. C57BL/6 mice were injected i.p. with TCDD at various doses of 0, 10, 30, and 100 ㎍/㎏ B.W. The mouse liver was analyzed for gene expression profiles at 4, 24, and 72 h after the treatment of TCDD. The relative liver weight was significantly increased at 72 h after treatment of TCDD at the doses of 30 and 100 ㎍/㎏ B.W (p ＜ 0.05). Although the levels of aspatate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase were not showed a change in a dose-dependent manner, the enzyme activities were increased at 4 h after treatment of TCDD. A total of 263 genes were changed at least 3-fold by TCDD compared with the vehicle-treated control; 82 genes were changed by 10 ㎍/㎏ of TCDD, 84 genes changed by 30 ㎍/㎏, and 97 genes changed by 100 ㎍/㎏, respectively. Of these, a total of 24 genes was changed more than 3-fold in common with all the three doses; 14 genes were induced and 10 genes were repressed. The genes altered by TCDD were related to cell cycle, cell proliferation, angiogenesis, apoptosis, immune responses, signal transduction, and cell communication. This comprehensive gene expression analysis suggest that many genes are involved in hepatotoxicity by TCDD and that the change in gene profile may help to clarify the mechanism of hepatotoxicity and hepatocarcinogenesis by TCDD.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• Materials and Methods
• Results
• Discussion
• Acknowledgments
• References