An integrated genomic and proteomic approach to identify signatures of endosulfan exposure in hepatocellular carcinoma cells

• Persistence of endosulfan around the globe is a matter of great concern.
• Integrated “omics” approach is applied to identify molecular fingerprints.
• Genomic and proteomic signatures in endosulfan exposed hepatic cells are reported.
• This will help in developing specific biomarkers for endosulfan exposure.

Present study reports the identification of genomic and proteomic signatures of endosulfan exposure in hepatocellular carcinoma cells (HepG2). HepG2 cells were exposed to sublethal concentration (15 μM) of endosulfan for 24 h. DNA microarray and MALDI–TOF–MS analyses revealed that endosulfan induced significant alterations in the expression level of genes and proteins involved in multiple cellular pathways (apoptosis, transcription, immune/inflammatory response, carbohydrate metabolism, etc.). Furthermore, downregulation of PHLDA gene, upregulation of ACIN1 protein and caspase-3 activation in exposed cells indicated that endosulfan can trigger apoptotic cascade in hepatocellular carcinoma cells. In total 135 transcripts and 19 proteins were differentially expressed. This study presents an integrated approach to identify the alteration of biological/cellular pathways in HepG2 cells upon endosulfan exposure.

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