Occupational exposure to gases/fumes and mineral dust affect DNA methylation levels of genes regulating expression.

ABSTRACT: Many workers are daily exposed to occupational agents like gases/fumes, mineral dust or biological dust, which could induce adverse health effects. Epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, have been suggested to play a role. We therefore aimed to identify differentially methylated regions (DMRs) upon occupational exposures in never-smokers and investigated if these DMRs associated with gene expression levels. To determine the effects of occupational exposures independent of smoking, 903 never-smokers of the LifeLines cohort study were included. We performed three genome-wide methylation analyses (Illumina 450 K), one per occupational exposure being gases/fumes, mineral dust and biological dust, using robust linear regression adjusted for appropriate confounders. DMRs were identified

SUBMITTER: van der Plaat DA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6643643 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature