Epigenetics: Benzene Effects on Acute

Myelogenous Leukemia (AML)

Date Proposed: 13/12/16
Advanced Biology
Epigenetics: Benzene Effects on Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML)

Information:

In epigenetics, many factors may contribute to the induction or repression of certain

genes, and such factors may include nutrition, nurturing or environmental factors. This

proposal will focus upon one of the negative environmental impact, the air pollutant Benzene.

Benzene is used in various sources such as petrol, rubber, lubricants, detergents and drugs,

thus, these easy-accessible Benzene can get into humans through inhalation. Benzene,

although the beneficial energy used in driving mechanical engines, may cause a harmful

impact upon human body. Its toxicity may cause the altering of gene regulation leading to

malignant disease as Benzene itself undergoing metabolism by cytochrome P450 2E1 and

2F1 (CYP2E1 and CYP2F1) and express the toxicity through the reactive metabolites such as

hydroquinone (HQ) and catechol. These toxicity can then be directed towards the bone

marrow tissue and harm the haematopoietic stem cells or progenitor cells. Certain epigenetic

markers on the MAGE-1 cancer-antigen gene in these cells can lead to a greater chance of

being diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), the cancer in blood and bone

marrow system.

Question:

Does Benzene cause the epigenetic changes to MAGE-1 cancer-antigen gene which leads to

acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)?

Hypothesis:
 If the individual in the experimental community have lower exposure towards benzene, they

would have lesser chance of developing AML. A solution to decrease the risk of developing

AML would then be protecting ourselves from benzene exposure.

Materials:

1. Special Sanitary Mask

2. Benzene in petrol
3. Labeled rows of types of petrols

Case Study:

One control group which involves a community having a considerable number of AML

patients and with association to the gasoline station. Another experimental group involves a

community where all the gasoline station attendants would wear a special sanitary mask

which would be changed every 5 hours, thus, the customers entering the area would have no

direct contact with the petrol-filling attendants. These both communities must be

geographically isolated from each other to lessen the interaction of people within both

communities.

Figure 1: Control group Figure 2: Experimental Group

Independent Variable:

- Size of the community and its population

- Number of gas station
- Types of petrol used in the gas station

Dependent Variable:

- Effects of Benzene and the development of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)

Methods:

1. Find a community which have a considerable number of AML patients and gasoline station.

That gasoline station should not have a mandatory requirement for the attendants to wear

masks.
2. Find a second community which have a low number of AML patients and considerable

number of gasoline station.

3. Ask for cooperation from the gasoline station within the second community to demand the

wearing of special sanitary masks for all gasoline station attendants, with the additional

request for the change of mask every 2 hours.

4. Temporary rule for these certain gasoline station would be that customers should not lower

the windows to ask for different kinds of petrols and their amount, but the labels for rows of

types of petrols would be shown, and fixed amount would be refilled every time. The

customers would then drive towards to exit and open their windows to pay the petrol cost.
5. After twenty years, request for the statistics of AML patients from all hospitals within both

community and compare the result. Make sure to send proper official request in the name of

the government organization for research study purpose as these information are confidential

towards the public. This private information must also get the permission from the patients.

References

Fenga, C., Gangemi, S., & Costa, C. (2016). Benzene exposure is associated with epigenetic

changes (Review). Molecular Medicine Reports, 13, 3401-3405.

http://dx.doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2016.4955
Peng C, Ng JC. The Role of Epigenetic Changes in Benzene-Induced Acute Myeloid

Leukaemia. J Clin Epigenet. 2016, 2:2.Introduction