Gene Expression Changes in Buccal Mucosa Due to Smoking
Author Information
Author(s): Kupfer Doris M, White Vicky L, Jenkins Marita C, Burian Dennis
Primary Institution: Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, Federal Aviation Administration
Hypothesis
Can total RNA isolated from buccal mucosa be used as an alternative tissue source to assay relative gene expression?
Conclusion
Buccal mucosa RNA can detect differential gene expression between smokers and nonsmokers, but its degradation and variability pose challenges.
Supporting Evidence
- Buccal RNA samples were found to be severely degraded with RNA Integrity Numbers (RINs) routinely less than three.
- The study successfully performed qPCR with the buccal RNA despite its poor quality.
- Gene Set Enrichment Analysis confirmed that differentially expressed genes had similar expression patterns to previous studies.
Takeaway
The study shows that we can use cheek cells to see how smoking changes our genes, but the quality of the samples can be a bit messy.
Methodology
Total RNA was isolated from buccal swabs, reverse transcribed, and analyzed using RT-qPCR and microarray techniques.
Potential Biases
The study only included female subjects, which may limit generalizability.
Limitations
RNA from buccal cells was highly degraded, leading to increased variability and potential microarray failure.
Participant Demographics
Seven smokers and eight nonsmokers, all female, with ages ranging from 27 to 53.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.3737
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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