Airborne polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) reduce telomerase activity and shorten telomere length in immortal human skin keratinocytes (HaCat)
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PCBs, a group of 209 individual congeners, are ubiquitous environmental pollutants and classified as probable human carcinogens. One major route of exposure is by inhalation of these industrial compounds, possibly daily from inner city air and/or indoor air in contaminated buildings. Hallmarks of aging and carcinogenesis are changes in telomere length and telomerase activity. We hypothesize that semi-volatile PCBs, like those found in inner city air, are capable of disrupting telomerase activity and altering telomere length. To explore this possibility, we exposed human skin keratinocytes to a synthetic Chicago Airborne Mixture (CAM) of PCBs, or the prominent airborne PCB congeners, PCB28 or PCB52 for up to 48 days and determined telomerase activity, telomere length, cell proliferation, and cell cycle distribution. PCBs 28, 52 and CAM significantly reduced telomerase activity from days 18-48. Telomere length was shortened by PCB 52 from day 18 and PCB 28 and CAM from days 30 on. All PCBs decreased cell proliferation from day 18; only PCB 52 produced a small increase of cells in G0/G1 of the cell cycle. This significant inhibition of telomerase activity and reduction of telomere length by PCB congeners suggest a potential mechanism by which these compounds could lead to accelerated aging and cancer.
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Airborne polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) reduced telomerase activity and shortened telomere length in human skin (HaCat) keratinocytes.
“airborne polychlorinated biphenyls (PBCs) reduced telomerase activity and shorten telomere length in human skin (HaCat) keratinocytes [44]”
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- Authors
- Senthilkumar, P. K., Klingelhutz, A. J., Jacobus, J. A., Lehmler, H., Robertson, L. W., & Ludewig, G.
- Affiliations
- University of Iowa (US)
- Corresponding author
- Ludewig, G.
- Venue
- Toxicology Letters
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2011-07
- Volume
- 204
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 64-70
- ISSN
- 0378-4274 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3109099
- OpenAlex
- W1965465659
- Cited by
- 45
- References
- 65
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 4 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 1.62
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Toxicology Letters (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (P42ES013661, P30ES005605)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Telomeres, Telomerase, and Senescence
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cancer Research › Carcinogens and Genotoxicity Assessment
- Keywords
- polychlorinated biphenyls, telomerase activity, telomere length, keratinocytes, HaCaT keratinocytes, PCB 28, PCB 52, cell proliferation, cell cycle distribution, aging, carcinogenesis, indoor air pollution, inhalation exposure
- MeSH terms
- Air Pollutants, Cell Cycle, Cell Line, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Humans, Polychlorinated Biphenyls, Keratinocytes, Telomere, Telomerase
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