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RNA-sequencing of airway epithelial cells from individuals with cystic fibrosis; with and without infection with human rhinovirus and treatment with CFTR corrective therapy

ABSTRACT: Background: Respiratory viruses including rhinovirus can cause pulmonary exacerbations in cystic fibrosis (CF). Aberrant responses by the CF airway epithelium during rhinovirus infection, particularly interferon production, may underly the clinical observations. Whether CFTR modulators affect antiviral responses by CF epithelia is presently unknown. We tested the hypothesis that treatment of CF epithelial cells with Ivacaftor or ivacaftor/lumacaftor (Orkambi) would improve control of rhinovirus infection. Methods: Nineteen CF epithelial cultures (CFTR Class 2: 10 homozygous for p.Phe508del, CFTR Class 3: 9 p.Phe508del/p.Gly551Asp) were infected with rhinovirus 1B at multiplicity of infection 12 for 24 hours. Culture RNA and supernatants were harvested to assess gene and protein expression respectively. Results: RNA-seq analysis comparing rhinovirus infected cultures to control identified 796 and 629 differentially expressed genes for Class 2 and Class 3, respectively. This gene response was highly conserved when cells were treated; all infected cultures (+/- treatment) were associated with the same top three over-represented biological pathways associated with interferon signalling, and were predicted to be driven by the same interferon-pathway transcriptional regulators (IFNA, IFNL1, IFNG, IRF7, STAT1). Direct comparisons between treated and untreated infected cultures did not yield any differentially expressed genes for Class 3, and only 68 genes for Class 2, related to cell metabolic pathways. In addition, CFTR modulators did not affect viral copy number, or levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines produced post-infection. Conclusions: Though long term clinical data is not yet available, results presented here suggest CFTR modulators do not interfere with core airway epithelial responses to rhinovirus infection.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE139078 | GEO | 2020/09/01

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Background: CFTR modulators will decrease some etiologies of inflammation in the CF airway; however, current data indicate that non-resolving airway infection and inflammation will persist in individuals with CF and chronic bacterial infections. Thus, identification of therapies that diminish CF airway inflammation without allowing unrestrained bacterial growth remains a critical research goal. Novel strategies for combatting deleterious airway inflammation require a better understanding of the cellular contributions to chronic CF airway disease, and how cells change after initiation of CFTR modulator therapy. Peripheral blood monocytes, which traffic to the CF airway, can develop both pro-inflammatory and inflammation-resolving phenotypes, and represent intriguing targets for focused therapies to dampen CF airway inflammation. Material and Methods: In order to characterize the inflammatory phenotype of CF blood monocytes, and how these cells change after initiation of CFTR modulator therapy, we studied adults (n=10) with CF, chronic airway infections, and the CFTR-R117H mutations before and 7 days after initiation of ivacaftor. Transcriptomes of freshly isolated blood monocytes were interrogated by RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq). Plasma concentrations of cytokines and chemokines were evaluated by multiplex ELISA. Results: RNAseq identified approximately 50 monocyte genes for which basal expression was significantly changed in all 10 subjects after 7 days of ivacaftor. Of these, the majority were increased in expression post ivacaftor, including many genes traditionally associated with enhanced inflammation and immune responses. Pathway analyses confirmed that transcriptional pathways were overwhelmingly up-regulated in monocytes after 7 days of ivacaftor, including transcriptional modules associated with immunity, cell cycle, oxidative phosphorylation, and the unfolded protein response. Ivacaftor increased plasma concentrations of CXCL2, a neutrophil chemokine secreted by monocytes and macrophages, and CCL2, a monocyte chemokine. These results demonstrate that ivacaftor causes acute changes in blood monocytes and plasma chemokines, and suggest that increased monocyte inflammatory signals and potentially improved trafficking to the lung contribute to changes in airway inflammation in people taking CFTR modulators. To our knowledge, this is the first report investigating the transcriptomic response of isolated blood monocytes in CF subjects.

Project description:Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an inherited, multi-system disease caused by dysfunction of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) protein, a ubiquitous ion channel important for epithelial hydration. A direct consequence of this dysfunction is impaired mucociliary clearance, chronic airway infection and a persistent neutrophilic inflammatory response that results in progressive loss of lung function, development of respiratory failure and premature death. Partial restoration of CFTR function is now possible for most CF patients through mutation specific CFTR modulators. Ivacaftor monotherapy produces significant clinical improvement in CF patients with the G511D mutation. Dual therapy, combining ivacaftor with lumacaftor or tezacaftor, results in modest clinical improvements in patients homozygous for F508del. More recently, triple therapy with elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor (ETI) has led to dramatic improvements in lung function and quality of life in patients homozygous and heterozygous for F508del. Sputum proteomics is a powerful research technique capable of identifying important airway disease mechanisms by interrogating the proteome, an entire set of proteins within biological samples. It has confirmed the central role of neutrophilic immune dysregulation in CF and non-CF bronchiectasis, particularly involving the release of antimicrobial proteins and neutrophil-extracellular traps (NETs), and through impaired anti-inflammatory mechanisms. These processes produce distinct molecular signatures within the sputum proteome that become increasingly abnormal with chronic airway infection and progressive lung disease severity. In CF patients, airway and systemic inflammatory cytokines potentially related to these signatures reduce with the various forms of CFTR modulation. To date, no studies of ETI therapy in CF lung disease have assessed large-scale change in protein expression using untargeted proteomics. We hypothesised that ETI therapy would shift the sputum proteome toward health, potentially normalising airway biology in people with CF. The objectives of this study were to investigate changes in the CF sputum proteome with the introduction of ETI, correlate these with changes in clinical markers of disease severity, and make comparisons with the sputum proteome in healthy controls and in repeat samples from CF patients not suitable for ETI therapy. We also explored which molecular pathways associated with CF lung disease did not change with ETI.

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RNA-sequencing of airway epithelial cells from individuals with cystic fibrosis; with and without infection with human rhinovirus and treatment with CFTR corrective therapy

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