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Guo W, Kwok HC, Griffith SM, Nagl S, Milovanović D, Pavlović M, Pavlović NM, Yu JZ, Dedon PC, Chan W. Combustion-Derived Pollutants Linked with Kidney Disease in Low-Lying Flood-Affected Areas in the Balkans. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY 2024; 58:11301-11308. [PMID: 38900968 DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.4c02848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/22/2024]
Abstract
Tens of thousands of people in southern Europe suffer from Balkan endemic nephropathy (BEN), and four times as many are at risk. Incidental ingestion of aristolochic acids (AAs), stemming from the ubiquitousAristolochia clematitis(birthwort) weed in the region, leads to DNA adduct-induced toxicity in kidney cells, the primary cause of BEN. Numerous cofactors, including toxic organics and metals, have been investigated, but all have shown small contributions to the overall BEN relative to non-BEN village distribution gradients. Here, we reveal that combustion-derived pollutants from wood and coal burning in Serbia also contaminate arable soil and test as plausible causative factors of BEN. Using a GC-MS screening method, biomass-burning-derived furfural and coal-burning-derived medium-chain alkanes were detected in soil samples from BEN endemic areas levels at up to 63-times and 14-times higher, respectively, than in nonendemic areas. Significantly higher amounts were also detected in colocated wheat grains. Coexposure studies with cultured kidney cells showed that these pollutants enhance DNA adduct formation by AA, - the cause of AA nephrotoxicity and carcinogenicity. With the coincidence of birthwort-derived AAs and the widespread practice of biomass and coal burning for household cooking and heating purposes and agricultural burning in rural low-lying flood-affected areas in the Balkans, these results implicate combustion-derived pollutants in promoting the development of BEN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanlin Guo
- Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Hong Ching Kwok
- Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Stephen M Griffith
- Department of Atmospheric Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan
| | - Stefan Nagl
- Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | | | - Miljana Pavlović
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Niš, Niš 18000, Serbia
| | - Nikola M Pavlović
- Kidneya Therapeutics, Klare Cetkin 11, Belgrade 11070, Serbia
- Center for Multidisciplinary Studies, University of Niš, Niš 18106, Serbia
| | - Jian Zhen Yu
- Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong
- Division of Environment and Sustainability, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Peter C Dedon
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Wan Chan
- Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong
- Division of Environment and Sustainability, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong
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Qi L, Zhu YX, Wang YK, Tang XX, Li KJ, He M, Sui Y, Wang PM, Zheng DQ, Zhang K. Nonlethal Furfural Exposure Causes Genomic Alterations and Adaptability Evolution in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0121623. [PMID: 37395645 PMCID: PMC10434202 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01216-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/09/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Furfural is a major inhibitor found in lignocellulosic hydrolysate, a promising feedstock for the biofermentation industry. In this study, we aimed to investigate the potential impact of this furan-derived chemical on yeast genome integrity and phenotypic evolution by using genetic screening systems and high-throughput analyses. Our results showed that the rates of aneuploidy, chromosomal rearrangements (including large deletions and duplications), and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) increased by 50-fold, 23-fold, and 4-fold, respectively, when yeast cells were cultured in medium containing a nonlethal dose of furfural (0.6 g/L). We observed significantly different ratios of genetic events between untreated and furfural-exposed cells, indicating that furfural exposure induced a unique pattern of genomic instability. Furfural exposure also increased the proportion of CG-to-TA and CG-to-AT base substitutions among point mutations, which was correlated with DNA oxidative damage. Interestingly, although monosomy of chromosomes often results in the slower growth of yeast under spontaneous conditions, we found that monosomic chromosome IX contributed to the enhanced furfural tolerance. Additionally, terminal LOH events on the right arm of chromosome IV, which led to homozygosity of the SSD1 allele, were associated with furfural resistance. This study sheds light on the mechanisms underlying the influence of furfural on yeast genome integrity and adaptability evolution. IMPORTANCE Industrial microorganisms are often exposed to multiple environmental stressors and inhibitors during their application. This study demonstrates that nonlethal concentrations of furfural in the culture medium can significantly induce genome instability in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Notably, furfural-exposed yeast cells displayed frequent chromosome aberrations, indicating the potent teratogenicity of this inhibitor. We identified specific genomic alterations, including monosomic chromosome IX and loss of heterozygosity of the right arm of chromosome IV, that confer furfural tolerance to a diploid S. cerevisiae strain. These findings enhance our understanding of how microorganisms evolve and adapt to stressful environments and offer insights for developing strategies to improve their performance in industrial applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Qi
- Donghai Laboratory, Zhoushan, China
- Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan, China
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | | | - Ye-Ke Wang
- Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | | | - Ke-Jing Li
- Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan, China
| | - Min He
- Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan, China
| | - Yang Sui
- Donghai Laboratory, Zhoushan, China
- Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Pin-Mei Wang
- Donghai Laboratory, Zhoushan, China
- Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan, China
| | - Dao-Qiong Zheng
- Donghai Laboratory, Zhoushan, China
- Ocean College, Zhejiang University, Zhoushan, China
| | - Ke Zhang
- College of Life Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
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Global Analysis of Furfural-Induced Genomic Instability Using a Yeast Model. Appl Environ Microbiol 2019; 85:AEM.01237-19. [PMID: 31300396 DOI: 10.1128/aem.01237-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2019] [Accepted: 07/01/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Furfural is an important renewable precursor for multiple commercial chemicals and fuels; a main inhibitor existing in cellulosic hydrolysate, which is used for bioethanol fermentation; and a potential carcinogen, as well. Using a genetic system in Saccharomyces cerevisiae that allows detection of crossover events, we observed that the frequency of mitotic recombination was elevated by 1.5- to 40-fold when cells were treated with 0.1 g/liter to 20 g/liter furfural. Analysis of the gene conversion tracts associated with crossover events suggested that most furfural-induced recombination resulted from repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) that occurred in the G1 phase. Furfural was incapable of breaking DNA directly in vitro but could trigger DSBs in vivo related to reactive oxygen species accumulation. By whole-genome single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) microarray and sequencing, furfural-induced genomic alterations that range from single base substitutions, loss of heterozygosity, and chromosomal rearrangements to aneuploidy were explored. At the whole-genome level, furfural-induced events were evenly distributed across 16 chromosomes but were enriched in high-GC-content regions. Point mutations, particularly the C-to-T/G-to-A transitions, were significantly elevated in furfural-treated cells compared to wild-type cells. This study provided multiple novel insights into the global effects of furfural on genomic stability.IMPORTANCE Whether and how furfural affects genome integrity have not been clarified. Using a Saccharomyces cerevisiae model, we found that furfural exposure leads to in vivo DSBs and elevation in mitotic recombination by orders of magnitude. Gross chromosomal rearrangements and aneuploidy events also occurred at a higher frequency in furfural-treated cells. In a genome-wide analysis, we show that the patterns of mitotic recombination and point mutations differed dramatically in furfural-treated cells and wild-type cells.
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Kirkland D, Fowler P. Further analysis of Ames-negative rodent carcinogens that are only genotoxic in mammalian cells in vitro at concentrations exceeding 1 mM, including retesting of compounds of concern. Mutagenesis 2010; 25:539-53. [DOI: 10.1093/mutage/geq041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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