Long-term cadmium exposure leads to the enhancement of lymphocyte proliferation via down-regulating p16 by DNA hypermethylation

•Chronic low dose cadmium enhanced lymphoblast proliferation in vivo and in vitro.•Chronic cadmium exposure increased the expressions of DNA methyltransferases.•p16 promoter was hypermethylated so that p16 expression was inhibited by Cd.•Hypermethylation of p16 promoter contributes to Cd-enhanced cell proliferation. Cadmium (Cd) is a well-established carcinogen, however, the underlying mechanism, especially the role of epigenetics in it, is still poorly understood. Our previous work has disclosed that when rats were exposed to 0.5mg CdCl2 (kgd) for 8 and 12 weeks, the growth of peripheral white blood cells (WBC) was obviously stimulated but no over-proliferation of granulocyte–monocyte (GM) progenitor cells was observed in the bone marrow, suggesting that the over-proliferation of lymphocyte was promoted by Cd exposure. Is DNA-methylation involved in this Cd-stimulated cell proliferation? The present study found that when human B lymphoblast HMy2.CIR cells were exposed to Cd with a dose lower than 0.1μM for 3 months, both cell proliferation and mRNA expressions of DNA methyltransferases of DNMT1 and DNMT3b were increased, while the mRNA of tumor suppressor gene p16 was remarkably decreased. Furthermore, the level of genomic DNA methylation was increased and the CpG island in p16 promoter was hypermethylated in the Cd-exposed cells. A DNA demethylating agent, 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dC), diminished Cd-stimulated cell proliferation associated with p16 overexpression. Our results suggested that the chronic exposure of low dose Cd could induce hypermethylation of p16 promoter and hence suppress p16 expression and then promote cell proliferation, which might contribute to Cd-induced carcinogenesis.