Project description:To understand why asthma remit with aging, we exposed mice across a range of ages to viral and allergic triggers of asthma exacerbations and inflammatory airway pathology. We found that pathology induced by Sendai virus (SeV) or influenza A virus (IAV) occurred selectively in juvenile mice in a microbiome-independent manner, while the same phenotypes induced by allergens were relatively insensitive to age. Age-specific responses to SeV included a juvenile bias towards type-2 airway inflammation that emerged early in infection and was lost with maturation. With aging, we observed progressive transcriptional changes to alveolar macrophages (AMs) including the acquisition of high-level MHC-II expression. Importantly, depleting AMs before SeV infection canceled the protective effects of maturity on post-viral airway pathology. Thus, age-related changes to the lung immune micro-environment alter host responses to viruses and may drive childhood asthma remission.
Project description:The goal of the was to evaluate the mRNA expression profile of asthmatic and non-asthmatic airway smooth muscle using Next Generation Sequencing (RNA seq).
Project description:Persistent severe asthma is associated with hyper-contractile airways and structural changes in the airway wall, including an increased airway smooth muscle (ASM) mass. This study used gene expression profiles from asthmatic and healthy airway smooth muscle cells grown in culture to identify novel receptors and pathways that potentially contributed to asthma pathogenesis. We used microarrays to compare the gene expression between asthmatic and healthy airway smooth muscle cells to understand the underlying pathway contributing the differences in cellular phenotypes
Project description:We report the application of RNA sequencing technology for high-throughput profiling of gene expression responses to human rhinovirus infection at 24 hours in air-liquid interface human airway epithelial cell cultures derived from 6 asthmatic and 6 non-asthmatic donors. RNA-seq analysis identified sets of genes associated with asthma specific viral responses. These genes are related to inflammatory pathways, epithelial remodeling and cilium assembly and function, including those described previously (e.g. CCL5, CXCL10 and CX3CL1), and novel ones that were identified for the first time in this study (e.g. CCRL1, CDHR3). We concluded that air liquid interface cultured human airway epithelial cells challenged with live HRV are a useful in vitro model for the study of rhinovirus induced asthma exacerbation, given that our findings are consistent with clinical data sets. Furthermore, our data suggest that abnormal airway epithelial structure and inflammatory signaling are important contributors to viral induced asthma exacerbation. Differentiated air-liquid interface cultured human airway epithelial cell mRNA profiles from 6 asthmatic and 6 non-asthmatic donors after 24 hour treatment with either HRV or vehicle control were generated by deep sequencing, using Illumina HiSeq 2000.
Project description:We report the application of RNA sequencing technology for high-throughput profiling of gene expression responses to human rhinovirus infection at 24 hours in air-liquid interface human airway epithelial cell cultures derived from 6 asthmatic and 6 non-asthmatic donors. RNA-seq analysis identified sets of genes associated with asthma specific viral responses. These genes are related to inflammatory pathways, epithelial remodeling and cilium assembly and function, including those described previously (e.g. CCL5, CXCL10 and CX3CL1), and novel ones that were identified for the first time in this study (e.g. CCRL1, CDHR3). We concluded that air liquid interface cultured human airway epithelial cells challenged with live HRV are a useful in vitro model for the study of rhinovirus induced asthma exacerbation, given that our findings are consistent with clinical data sets. Furthermore, our data suggest that abnormal airway epithelial structure and inflammatory signaling are important contributors to viral induced asthma exacerbation.
Project description:Aging involves multiple biologically complex processes characterized by a decline in cellular homeostasis over time leading to a loss and impairment of physiological integrity and function. Specific cellular hallmarks of aging include abnormal gene expression patterns, shortened telomeres and associated biological dysfunction. Like all organs, the lung demonstrates both physiological and structural changes with age that result in a progressive decrease in lung function in healthy individuals. Cigarette smoking accelerates lung function decline over time, suggesting smoking accelerates aging of the lung. Based on this data, we hypothesized that cigarette smoking accelerates the aging of the small airway epithelium, the cells that take the initial brunt of inhaled toxins from the cigarette smoke and one of the primary sites of pathology associated with cigarette smoking. Using the sensitive molecular parameters of aging-related gene expression and telomere length, the aging process of the small airway epithelium was assessed in age matched healthy nonsmokers and healthy smokers with no physical manifestation of lung disease or abnormalities in lung function. Analysis of a 73 gene aging signature demonstrated that smoking significantly dysregulates 18 aging-related genes in the small airway epithelium. In an independent cohort of male subjects, smoking significantly reduced telomere length in the small airway epithelium of smokers by 14% compared to nonsmokers. These data provide biologic evidence that prior to the clinical manifestation of lung disease; smoking accelerates aging of the small airway epithelium.
Project description:DNA methylation profiling of airway epithelial cells (AECs) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from normal, atopic and asthmatic subjects. The Illumina GoldenGate Methylation Cancer Panel I was used to obtain DNA methylation profiles across approximately 1505 CpGs in AECs and PBMCs. Samples included 7 healthy, 9 atopic, 4 atopic asthmatic and 5 non-atopic asthmatic subjects. Please note that only some of the samples are matched (i.e. AECs and PBMCs from the same individual) due to DNA quality or sample collection (i.e. only one sample (AEC or PBMC) was collected from the patient).
Project description:DNA methylation profiling of airway epithelial cells (AECs) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from normal, atopic and asthmatic subjects. The Illumina GoldenGate Methylation Cancer Panel I was used to obtain DNA methylation profiles across approximately 1505 CpGs in AECs and PBMCs. Samples included 7 healthy, 9 atopic, 4 atopic asthmatic and 5 non-atopic asthmatic subjects. Please note that only some of the samples are matched (i.e. AECs and PBMCs from the same individual) due to DNA quality or sample collection (i.e. only one sample (AEC or PBMC) was collected from the patient). Bisulphite converted DNA from the 41 samples were hybridised to the Illumina GoldenGate Methylation Beadchip
Project description:Investigation of the mechanism leading to differential rhinovirus infection in airway epithelia from healty versus asthmatic patients