Extract
Asthma is a chronic airway inflammatory disorder characterised by airway hyperresponsiveness, inflammation and remodelling, including airway smooth muscle cell (ASMC) hyperplasia and subepithelial airway fibrosis [1, 2]. ASMCs from severe asthmatics are hyperproliferative, release more pro-inflammatory cytokines and are corticosteroid-insensitive compared with those from healthy individuals and non-severe asthma patients [3, 4]. Genetic and epigenetic processes such as miRNA expression and DNA methylation have been implicated in asthma pathogenesis [5]. Indeed, DNA methylation is altered in asthmatic blood cells [5] and may be a biomarker of atopy [6].
Abstract
Abnormal DNA methylation patterns distinguish airway smooth muscle cell function in asthma and asthma severity http://ow.ly/cTrK30iCwVK
Footnotes
Authors’ contributions: M.M. Perry planned the experiments, cultured the ASM cells, analysed the data and prepared the manuscript; P. Lavender ran the DNA methylation arrays; C.H.S. Kuo analysed the data; F. Galea, C. Michaeloudes and J.M. Flanagan were responsible for the pyrosequencing; K.F. Chung recruited the patients and performed the bronchial biopsies; I.M. Adcock funded the study. M.M. Perry, K.F. Chung and I.M. Adcock designed the study. Consent for publication: All authors have read the manuscript and consent to it being published. Availability of data and material: All data and material are included in the manuscript.
Conflict of interest: None declared.
Support statement: This work was supported by grants from Asthma UK (08/041) and The Wellcome Trust (085935) (K.F. Chung). This project was supported by the NIHR Respiratory Disease Biomedical Research Unit at the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Foundation Trust and Imperial College London. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors(s) and not necessarily those of the NHS, The National Institute for Health Research or the Department of Health. K.F. Chung is a Senior Investigator of NIHR, UK. I.M. Adcock and K.F. Chung are supported by the EU-Innovative Medicines Initiative Joint Undertaking project U-BIOPRED (115010). M.M. Perry, I.M. Adcock and K.F. Chung are members of Interuniversity Attraction Poles Program-Belgian State-Belgian Science Policy- project P7/30. Funding information for this article has been deposited with the Crossref Funder Registry.
- Received September 21, 2016.
- Accepted February 8, 2018.
- Copyright ©ERS 2018
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