Perspectives on the Use of Toxicogenomics to Assess Environmental Risk
José Portugal, Sylvia Mansilla, Benjamı́n Piña
Abstract
Environmental toxicogenomics aims to collect, analyze and interpret data on changes in gene expression and protein activity resulting from exposure to toxic substances using high-performance omics technologies. Molecular profiling methods such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and bioinformatics techniques, permit the simultaneous analysis of a multitude of gene variants in an organism exposed to toxic agents to search for genes prone to damage, detect patterns and mechanisms of toxicity, and identify specific gene expression profiles that can provide biomarkers of exposure and risk. Compared to previous approaches to measuring molecular changes caused by toxicants, toxicogenomic technologies can improve environmental risk assessment while reducing animal studies. We discuss the prospects and limitations of converting omic datasets into valuable information, focusing on assessing the risks of mixed toxic substances to the environment and human health.