Proteomics Study of Benzene Metabolite Hydroquinone Induced Hematotoxicity in K562 Cells

Objective: Hydroquinone (HQ), one of the phenolic metabolites of benzene, is widely recognized as an important participant in benzene-induced hematotoxicity. However, there are few relevant proteomics in HQ-induced hematotoxicity and the mechanism hasn't been fully understood yet. Methods: In this study, we treated K562 cells with 40 μmol/L HQ for 72 h, examined and validated protein expression changes by Label-free proteomic analysis and Parallel reaction monitoring (PRM), and performed bioinformatics analysis to identify interaction networks. Results: One hundred and eighty-seven upregulated differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) and 279 downregulated DEPs were identified in HQ-exposed K562 cells, which were involved in neutrophil-mediated immunity, blood microparticle, and other GO terms, as well as the lysosome, metabolic, cell cycle, and cellular senescence-related pathways. Focusing on the 23 DEGs and 5 DEPs in erythroid differentiation-related pathways, we constructed the network of protein interactions and determined 6 DEPs (STAT1, STAT3, CASP3, KIT, STAT5B, and VEGFA) as main hub proteins with the most interactions, among which STATs made a central impact and may be potential biomarkers of HQ-induced hematotoxicity. Conclusion: Our work reinforced the use of proteomics and bioinformatic approaches to advance knowledge on molecular mechanisms of HQ-induced hematotoxicity at the protein level and provide a valuable basis for further clarification.