Elevated ERCC1 Gene Expression in Blood Cells Associated with Exposure to Arsenic from Drinking Water in Inner Mongolia

Background: Chronic arsenic exposure has been associated with human cancer. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of arsenic exposure on a DNA nucleotide excision repair gene, ERCC1, expression in human blood cells. Patients and Methods: Water and toenail samples were collected from a total of 327 Inner Mongolian residents for arsenic analysis. Blood samples were collected to determine mRNA expression levels by real-time PCR. Results: The mRNA levels of ERCC1 expression were positively associated with water arsenic concentration (slope=0.313, p=0.0043) and nail arsenic concentration (slope=0.474, p=0.0073). mRNA levels of ERCC1 expression were significantly correlated with those of OGG1, a base pair excision repair gene (r=0.275, p<0.0001). Conclusion: The results showed that mRNA levels of ERCC1 expression were significantly associated with arsenic concentrations in drinking water, implicating the DNA repair response was induced by arsenic exposure.