Monitoring protein expression by proteomics: Human plasma exposed to benzene

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Abstract
Low levels and long term exposure to benzene is associated with hematotoxicity including aplastic anemia, acute myelogenous leukemia, and lymphoma. Current biomonitoring methods such as urinary phenol, S-phenylmercapturic acid, and trans-trans muconic acid were found to be unreliable as analytical methods to detect benzene exposure. Therefore, to search for a specific protein for biomonitoring benzene exposure, we investigated plasma proteins from workers (n = 50) at a printing company who were exposed to benzene, by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. The protein profiles are significantly different (p 〈 0.05) between benzene exposed and unexposed groups, as identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization/time of flight mass spectrometry and confirmed by Western blot analyses. T cell receptor β chain (TCR β), FK506-binding protein, and matrix metalloproteinase-13 were expressed only in benzene exposed workers. In addition, interleukin-4 receptor α chain and T cell surface glycoprotein CD1b precursor were found to be up-regulated in the plasma of benzene exposed workers. When we treated Jurkat cells with benzene (10 μM–10 mM), TCR β expression was increased in the membrane more than 6–9-fold compared to untreated cells. In addition, the amount of TCR β released into the culture media, at benzene concentrations greater than 50 μM, increased up to 10 mM. Therefore, TCR β levels in plasma could be used as a biomarker and a possible therapeutic target for benzene exposure.

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