ArticlePloS one2018
Identification of gene expression predictors of occupational benzene exposure.
Article in PloS one, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 18 citations in OpenAlex.
- 'Omics in environmental epidemiological studies of chemical exposures: A systematic evidence map.Environment international · 2022Pooled it
- Investigating the Association Between Volatile Organic Compounds and Preterm Birth in Detroit, Michigan: Protocol for the Center for Leadership in Environmental Awareness and Research Birth Cohort Study.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Integrated Computational Analysis Reveals Early Genetic and Epigenetic AML Susceptibility Biomarkers in Benzene-Exposed Workers.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- ACSL4 at the helm of the lipid peroxidation ship: a deep-sea exploration towards ferroptosis.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2025Review
- The Impact of Environmental Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, and Xylene Exposure on Blood-Based DNA Methylation Profiles in Pregnant African American Women from Detroit.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- Epigenome-wide association studies of occupational exposure to benzene and formaldehyde.Epigenetics · 2022Article
- Metabolomic predictors of phenotypic traits can replace and complement measured clinical variables in population-scale expression profiling studies.BMC genomics · 2022Article
- Review
- The prevalence and persistence of aberrant promoter DNA methylation in benzene-exposed Chinese workers.PloS one · 2019Article
- Global Gene Expression Response in Peripheral Blood Cells of Petroleum Workers Exposed to Sub-Ppm Benzene Levels.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundPreviously, using microarrays and mRNA-Sequencing (mRNA-Seq) we found that occupational exposure to a range of benzene levels perturbed gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells.
objectivesIn the current study, we sought to identify gene expression biomarkers predictive of benzene exposure below 1 part per million (ppm), the occupational standard in the U.S.
methodsFirst, we used the nCounter platform to validate altered expression of 30 genes in 33 unexposed controls and 57 subjects exposed to benzene (<1 to ≥5 ppm). Second, we used SuperLearner (SL) to identify a minimal number of genes for which altered expression could predict <1 ppm benzene exposure, in 44 subjects with a mean air benzene level of 0.55±0.248 ppm (minimum 0.203ppm).
resultsnCounter and microarray expression levels were highly correlated (coefficients >0.7, p<0.05) for 26 microarray-selected genes. nCounter and mRNA-Seq levels were poorly correlated for 4 mRNA-Seq-selected genes. Using negative binomial regression with adjustment for covariates and multiple testing, we confirmed differential expression of 23 microarray-selected genes in the entire benzene-exposed group, and 27 genes in the <1 ppm-exposed subgroup, compared with the control group. Using SL, we identified 3 pairs of genes that could predict <1 ppm benzene exposure with cross-validated AUC estimates >0.9 (p<0.0001) and were not predictive of other exposures (nickel, arsenic, smoking, stress). The predictive gene pairs are PRG2/CLEC5A, NFKBI/CLEC5A, and ACSL1/CLEC5A. They play roles in innate immunity and inflammatory responses.
conclusionsUsing nCounter and SL, we validated the altered expression of multiple mRNAs by benzene and identified gene pairs predictive of exposure to benzene at levels below the US occupational standard of 1ppm.
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