The interaction effects of FEN1 rs174538 polymorphism and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon exposure on damage in exon 19 and 21 of EGFR gene in coke oven workers

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international 2021-11, Vol.28 (43), p.60692-60703
• Main Authors: Chen, Siqin, He, Yuefeng, Yan, Maosheng, Zhou, Yun, He, Qinghua, Tan, Jingwen, Yang, Binyao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 1-Hydroxypyrene; Aquatic Pollution; Aromatic hydrocarbons; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Biomarkers; BRCA1 protein; Breast cancer; Coke; Coke - adverse effects; Coke ovens; Damage; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Endonuclease; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental science; Epidermal growth factor; Epidermal growth factor receptors; ErbB Receptors - genetics; Exons; Exposure; FEN1 protein; Flap Endonucleases - genetics; Gene polymorphism; Genotoxicity; Growth factors; Health risks; Humans; Hydrocarbons; Male; Occupational exposure; Occupational Exposure - adverse effects; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons - adverse effects; Polymorphism; Pyrenes; Research Article; Smoking; Subpopulations; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-021-15013-y

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) exposure and genetic susceptibility were conductive to genotoxic effects including gene damage, which can increase mutational probability. We aimed to explore the dose-effect associations of PAH exposure with damage of exons of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and breast cancer susceptibility gene 1 (BRCA1), as well as their associations whether modified by Flap endonuclease 1 (FEN1) genotype. Two hundred eighty-eight coke oven male workers were recruited, and we detected the concentration of 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OH-pyr) as PAH exposure biomarker in urine and examined base modification in exons of EGFR and BRCA1 respectively, and genotyped FEN1 rs174538 polymorphism in plasma. We found that the damage indexes of exon 19 and 21 of EGFR (EGFR-19 and EGFR-21) were both significantly associated with increased urinary 1-OH-pyr (both P trend < 0.001). The levels of urinary 1-OH-pyr were both significantly associated with increased EGFR-19 and EGFR-21 in both smokers and nonsmokers (both P < 0.001). Additionally, we observed that the urinary 1-OH-pyr concentrations were linearly associated with both EGFR-19 and EGFR-21 only in rs174538 GA+AA genotype carriers (both P < 0.001). Moreover, FEN1rs rs174538 showed modifying effects on the associations of urinary 1-OH-pyr with EGFR-19 and EGFR-21 (both P interaction < 0.05). Our findings revealed the linear dose-effect association between exon damage of EGFR and PAH exposure and highlight differences in genetic contributions to exon damage and have the potential to identify at-risk subpopulations who are susceptible to adverse health effects induced by PAH exposure.