Cited by 235Heavy Metal Exposure and ToxicityEpigenetics and DNA MethylationHealth, Environment, Cognitive Aging

Biomarkers of Lead Exposure and DNA Methylation within Retrotransposons

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Wright, Robert O., Schwartz, Joel, Wright, Rosalind J., Bollati, Valentina, Tarantini, Letizia, Park, Sung Kyun, Hu, Howard, Sparrow, David +2 more·2010·Environmental Health Perspectives

Abstract

Background: DNA methylation is an epigenetic mark that regulates gene expression. Changes in DNA methylation within white blood cells may result from cumulative exposure to environmental metals such as lead. Bone lead, a marker of cumulative exposure, may therefore better predict DNA methylation than does blood lead. Objective: In this study we compared associations between lead biomarkers and DNA methylation. Methods: We measured global methylation in participants of the Normative Aging Study (all men) who had archived DNA samples. We measured patella and tibia lead levels by K-X-Ray fluorescence and blood lead by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. DNA samples from blood were used to determine global methylation averages within CpG islands of long interspersed nuclear elements-1 (LINE-1) and Alu retrotransposons. A mixed-effects model using repeated measures of Alu or LINE-1 as the dependent variable and blood/bone lead (tibia or patella in separate models) as the primary exposure marker was fit to the data. Results: Overall mean global methylation (± SD) was 26.3 ± 1.0 as measured by Alu and 76.8 ± 1.9 as measured by LINE-1. In the mixed-effects model, patella lead levels were inversely associated with LINE-1 (β = −0.25; p < 0.01) but not Alu (β = −0.03; p = 0.4). Tibia lead and blood lead did not predict global methylation for either Alu or LINE-1. Conclusion: Patella lead levels predicted reduced global DNA methylation within LINE-1 elements. The association between lead exposure and LINE-1 DNA methylation may have implications for the mechanisms of action of lead on health outcomes, and also suggests that changes in DNA methylation may represent a biomarker of past lead exposure.

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Authors
Wright, R. O., Schwartz, J., Wright, R. J., Bollati, V., Tarantini, L., Park, S. K., Hu, H., Sparrow, D., Vokonas, P., & Baccarelli, A.
Affiliations
  • Brigham and Women's Hospital (US)
  • Harvard University (US)
  • University of Milan (IT)
  • University of Michigan (US)
  • Boston University (US)
Corresponding author
Wright, Rosalind J.
Venue
Environmental Health Perspectives
Published
2010-01-11
Volume
118
Issue
6
Pages
790-795
ISSN
  • 0091-6765 (ISSN-L)
  • 1552-9924
OpenAlex
W2145480803
Cited by
235
References
51
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 7 · 2018: 17 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 19 · 2014: 17 · 2013: 19 · 2012: 25
FWCI
15.64
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Environmental Health Perspectives (publishedVersion, public-domain)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, public-domain)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, public-domain)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Digital Access to Scholarship at Harvard (DASH) (Harvard University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • OpenBU (Boston University) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
  • U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
  • National Institutes of Health (5r01es005257-15)
  • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (R01-ES005257, K23ES000381, ES-014663, R01ES014663, P30ES000002, R01ES015172, R01ES020268, P30-ES00002, R01ES013744)
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Heavy Metal Exposure and Toxicity
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Epigenetics and DNA Methylation
  • Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Health, Toxicology and Mutagenesis › Health, Environment, Cognitive Aging
Keywords
lead exposure, DNA methylation, LINE-1 retrotransposons, Alu elements, bone lead, patella lead, tibia lead, blood lead levels, epigenetic biomarkers, CpG islands, Normative Aging Study
MeSH terms
Bone and Bones, Environmental Pollutants, Humans, Lead, Leukocytes, Male, Massachusetts, Spectrometry, X-Ray Emission, Spectrophotometry, Atomic, Models, Statistical, Biomarkers, Retroelements, DNA Methylation, Long Interspersed Nucleotide Elements

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