Transcriptomic analyses to compare gene expression of workers considering their exposome

Abstract

In the present study, a transcriptomics approach will be used to compare gene expression between subpopulations that are exposed to different sets of occupational and environmental conditions. The results may complement other studies developed in Brazil by "The Human Exposome Research Group - eXsat" and will play a fundamental role in expand our international collaboration with HERACLES Research Center on the Exposome and Health, at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki - Greece. The aims of this internship are: a) to prepare samples and perform untargeted transcriptomics analyses by Microarray for the blood samples collected from formal workers and controls from Volta Redonda city (n=26), and informal workers and controls from Limeira city (n=42) (FAPESP processes 2017/25424-9, and 2018/18391-0); b) to verify possible associations between exposure and differences in the study population gene expression; c) to develop strategies for analyzing the data covering exposome concepts, advances in bioinformatics and molecular epidemiology; d) to take advantage of the expertise of the Greek group, "HERACLES" (Health and Exposome Research: Assessing Contributors to Lifetime Exposure and State of Health) because it represents a center for analysis of the exposome of the HEALS (Health and Environment- wide Associations based on Large population Surveys), which represents the largest research project funded by the European Union on the environment and health. Such knowledge may, in the future, facilitate the planning of a large-scale exposome study in Brazil. (AU)