Exposure to cigarette smoke can alter gene expression - the process by which a genes information is converted into the structures and functions of a cell.
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Researchers identified 323 unique human genes whose expression levels correlated with smoking behaviour in their study of 1,240 people, including 297 current smokers. The changes were detected by studying the activity of genes within white blood cells of study participants.
It was found that not only individual genes but entire networks of gene interaction are influenced by cigarette smoking. These alterations in response to smoking appear to have a wide-ranging negative influence on the immune system, and a strong involvement in processes related to cancer, cell death and metabolism.
The findings indicate that not only individual genes but entire networks of gene interaction are influenced by cigarette smoking.
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