Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Polymorphisms in Arsenic(+III)methyltransferase (AS3MT) Predict Gene Expression of AS3MT as well as Arsenic Metabolism.

Engström, Karin LU ; Vahter, Marie ; Jurkovic Mlakar, Simona ; Concha, Gabriela ; Nermell, Barbro ; Raqib, Rubhana ; Cardozo, Alejandro and Broberg Palmgren, Karin LU orcid (2011) In Environmental Health Perspectives 119. p.182-188
Abstract
Background: Arsenic is mono- (MMA) and dimethylated (DMA) in humans and the methylation pattern demonstrates large inter-individual differences. The fraction of urinary MMA is a marker for susceptibility to arsenic-related diseases. Objectives: The impact of polymorphisms in five methyltransferase genes on arsenic metabolism was evaluated in two populations, one in South America, one in southeast Asia. The methyltransferase genes were arsenic(+III)methyltransferase (AS3MT), DNAmethyltransferase 1a and 3b (DNMT1a, DNMT3b), phosphatidylethanolamine Nmethyltransferase (PEMT) and betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase (BHMT). AS3MT expression was analyzed in peripheral blood. Methods: Subjects were women, exposed to arsenic in drinking water... (More)
Background: Arsenic is mono- (MMA) and dimethylated (DMA) in humans and the methylation pattern demonstrates large inter-individual differences. The fraction of urinary MMA is a marker for susceptibility to arsenic-related diseases. Objectives: The impact of polymorphisms in five methyltransferase genes on arsenic metabolism was evaluated in two populations, one in South America, one in southeast Asia. The methyltransferase genes were arsenic(+III)methyltransferase (AS3MT), DNAmethyltransferase 1a and 3b (DNMT1a, DNMT3b), phosphatidylethanolamine Nmethyltransferase (PEMT) and betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase (BHMT). AS3MT expression was analyzed in peripheral blood. Methods: Subjects were women, exposed to arsenic in drinking water in the Argentinean Andes (N=172; median urinary arsenic 200 μg/L) and in rural Bangladesh (N=361; 100 μg/L, all in early pregnancy). Urinary arsenic metabolites were measured by HPLC-ICPMS. Polymorphisms (N=22) were genotyped with Sequenom™. AS3MT expression was measured with qPCR using TaqMan® expression assays. Results: Six AS3MT polymorphisms were significantly associated with arsenic metabolite patterns in both populations (p-values ≤0.01). The most frequent AS3MT haplotype in Bangladesh was associated with higher %MMA, and the most frequent in Argentina with lower %MMA and higher %DMA. Four polymorphisms in the DNMTs were associated with metabolite patterns in Bangladesh. Non-coding AS3MT polymorphisms affected gene expression of AS3MT in peripheral blood, demonstrating that one functional impact of AS3MT polymorphisms may be altering levels of gene expression. Conclusions: Polymorphisms in AS3MT significantly predicted As metabolism across these two very different populations, suggesting that AS3MT may have an impact on As metabolite patterns in populations worldwide. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
AS3MT, arsenic, BHMT, DNMT1a, DNMT3b, gene expression, methylation, one-carbon metabolism, PEMT, polymorphism
in
Environmental Health Perspectives
volume
119
pages
182 - 188
publisher
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
external identifiers
  • wos:000286803400019
  • pmid:21247820
  • scopus:79955867370
  • pmid:21247820
ISSN
1552-9924
DOI
10.1289/ehp.1002471
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
0d453359-feee-43ff-adb2-9a94ace66d2c (old id 1777287)
alternative location
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3040604/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21247820?dopt=Abstract
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 13:49:04
date last changed
2022-04-06 07:11:58
@article{0d453359-feee-43ff-adb2-9a94ace66d2c,
  abstract     = {{Background: Arsenic is mono- (MMA) and dimethylated (DMA) in humans and the methylation pattern demonstrates large inter-individual differences. The fraction of urinary MMA is a marker for susceptibility to arsenic-related diseases. Objectives: The impact of polymorphisms in five methyltransferase genes on arsenic metabolism was evaluated in two populations, one in South America, one in southeast Asia. The methyltransferase genes were arsenic(+III)methyltransferase (AS3MT), DNAmethyltransferase 1a and 3b (DNMT1a, DNMT3b), phosphatidylethanolamine Nmethyltransferase (PEMT) and betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase (BHMT). AS3MT expression was analyzed in peripheral blood. Methods: Subjects were women, exposed to arsenic in drinking water in the Argentinean Andes (N=172; median urinary arsenic 200 μg/L) and in rural Bangladesh (N=361; 100 μg/L, all in early pregnancy). Urinary arsenic metabolites were measured by HPLC-ICPMS. Polymorphisms (N=22) were genotyped with Sequenom™. AS3MT expression was measured with qPCR using TaqMan® expression assays. Results: Six AS3MT polymorphisms were significantly associated with arsenic metabolite patterns in both populations (p-values ≤0.01). The most frequent AS3MT haplotype in Bangladesh was associated with higher %MMA, and the most frequent in Argentina with lower %MMA and higher %DMA. Four polymorphisms in the DNMTs were associated with metabolite patterns in Bangladesh. Non-coding AS3MT polymorphisms affected gene expression of AS3MT in peripheral blood, demonstrating that one functional impact of AS3MT polymorphisms may be altering levels of gene expression. Conclusions: Polymorphisms in AS3MT significantly predicted As metabolism across these two very different populations, suggesting that AS3MT may have an impact on As metabolite patterns in populations worldwide.}},
  author       = {{Engström, Karin and Vahter, Marie and Jurkovic Mlakar, Simona and Concha, Gabriela and Nermell, Barbro and Raqib, Rubhana and Cardozo, Alejandro and Broberg Palmgren, Karin}},
  issn         = {{1552-9924}},
  keywords     = {{AS3MT; arsenic; BHMT; DNMT1a; DNMT3b; gene expression; methylation; one-carbon metabolism; PEMT; polymorphism}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{182--188}},
  publisher    = {{National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences}},
  series       = {{Environmental Health Perspectives}},
  title        = {{Polymorphisms in Arsenic(+III)methyltransferase (AS3MT) Predict Gene Expression of AS3MT as well as Arsenic Metabolism.}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1002471}},
  doi          = {{10.1289/ehp.1002471}},
  volume       = {{119}},
  year         = {{2011}},
}