Data from The Effect of Exposure to Neighborhood Violence on Glucocorticoid Receptor Signaling in Lung Tumors

AbstractDespite lower rates and intensity of smoking, Black men experience a higher incidence of lung cancer compared to white men. The racial disparity in lung cancer is particularly pronounced in Chicago, a highly segregated urban city. Neighborhood conditions, particularly social stress, may play a role in lung tumorigenesis. Preliminary studies indicate that Black men residing in neighborhoods with higher rates of violent crime have significantly higher levels of hair cortisol, an indicator of stress response. To examine the relationship between social stress exposure and gene expression in lung tumors, we investigated glucocorticoid receptor (GR) binding in 15 lung tumor samples in relation to GR target gene expression levels and zip code level residential violent crime rates. Spatial transcriptomics and a version of ChIP sequencing known as CUT&RUN were used. Heatmap of genes, pathway analysis, and motif analysis were conducted at the statistical significance of P Significance:Exposure to neighborhood violent crime is correlated with glucocorticoid signaling and lung tumor gene expression changes associated with increased tumor aggressiveness, suggesting social conditions have downstream biophysical consequences that contribute to lung cancer disparities.