ADAM33 Gene Polymorphisms are Associated with the Risk of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Gene polymorphisms and risk of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) has been widely hypothesized to occur as a result of an interplay between a nexus of environmental and genetic risk factors. However, not much is known about the genetic aspect of this disease. The objective of this review was to identify the genetic polymorphisms associated with the risk of developing IPF. We searched PubMed, EBSCO CINAHL Plus, Web of Science, and Wiley Cochrane Library databases for studies on risk factors of IPF published between March 2000 and November 2023. Studies with an IPF diagnosis based only on the American Thoracic Society and the European Respiratory Society guidelines were included. Thirty-one case-control studies were included with 3997 IPF and 20,925 non-IPF subjects. Two of the studies enrolled biopsy-proven IPF patients; 13 studies diagnosed IPF on the basis of clinical and high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) findings; and 14 studies diagnosed based on both biopsy and clinical and HRCT findings. 16 studies with MUC5B rs35705950, IL-4 rs2243250, IL-4 rs2070874, and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα)-308 were eligible for meta-analysis. The allele contrast model (T versus G) for MUC5B rs35705950 revealed statistically significant association of T allele with the risk of IPF [odds ratio (OR) 3.84, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.20 to 4.61, adjusted p<0.0001), as was the allele contrast model for Asian (OR 2.83, 95% CI 1.51 to 5.32, adjusted p=0.009) and Caucasian (OR 4.11, 95% CI 3.56 to 4.75, adjusted p<0.0001). The allele contrast models for IL-4 rs2243250, IL-4 rs2070874, and TNFα-308 did not demonstrate any significant association with IPF. This review suggests an association of MUC5B rs35705950 T allele with the risk of developing IPF. To our knowledge, this study is the first to aggregate several genetic polymorphisms associated with IPF.

Genetic association of ADAM33 polymorphisms with childhood asthma in Chinese Han population: A case-control study

To explore the association of a disintegrin and metalloprotease 33 (ADAM33) polymorphisms with childhood asthma susceptibility, we conducted this case-control study.In this case-control study, we selected 96 asthma children and 86 healthy children to conduct the genotyping of ADAM33 polymorphisms through polymerase chain reaction-direct sequencing (PCR-DS). Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) status in the control group was detected adopting chi-square test. Frequency differences of genotypes, alleles, and haplotypes were compared by chi-square test between the case and control groups. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) between polymorphisms was checked using Haploview software. Association intensity of the polymorphisms with the disease risk was assessed by odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI).The frequency of rs678881 GA genotype was obviously higher in cases than in controls (P = .03) and the carriage of this genotype conferred higher risk of asthma among children than GG genotype (OR = 2.03, 95%CI = 1.05-3.91). However, neither rs2280089 nor rs2853209 polymorphism was significantly associated with the risk of childhood asthma. Strong LD was found among rs678881, rs2280089 and rs2853209, and haplotype GGT was distinctly associated with the risk of asthma in children (OR = 0.28, 95%CI = 0.13-0.57).ADAM33 rs678881 polymorphism is significantly correlated with increased susceptibility to asthma in Chinese Han children. Besides, haplotype GGT among the 3 polymorphisms was obviously associated with decreased risk of childhood asthma.

The impaired proteases and anti-proteases balance in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a devastating chronic, progressive and irreversible disease that remains refractory to current therapies. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their inhibitors, tissue inhibitors of MMPs (TIMPs), have been implicated in the development of pulmonary fibrosis since decades. Coagulation signalling deregulation, which influences several key inflammatory and fibro-proliferative responses, is also essential in IPF pathogenesis, and a growing body of evidence indicates that Protease-Activated Receptors (PARs) inhibition in IPF may be promising for future evaluation. Therefore, proteases and anti-proteases aroused great biomedical interest over the past years, owing to the identification of their potential roles in lung fibrosis. During these last decades, numerous other proteases and anti-proteases have been studied in lung fibrosis, such as matriptase, Human airway trypsin-like protease (HAT), Hepatocyte growth factor activator (HGFA)/HGFA activator inhibitor (HAI) system, Plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI)-1, Protease nexine (PN)-1, cathepsins, calpains, and cystatin C. Herein, we provide a general overview of the proteases and anti-proteases unbalance during lung fibrogenesis and explore potential therapeutics for IPF.

ADAM33 gene polymorphisms identified to be associated with asthma in a Chinese Li population

A disintegrin and metalloprotease 33 (ADAM33) is an asthma susceptibility gene that has been proven to be present in certain human populations. The Li population is a minority ethnic group, most of whom maintain a distinctive lifestyle on Hainan Island in southern China. To the best of our knowledge, no previous study has established whether ADAM33 polymorphisms are associated with asthma in the Li population. Therefore, the ADAM33 polymorphisms in a Li population were investigated in the present study. A total of 150 asthma patients and 100 healthy subjects were enrolled in the present study, and their DNA samples were evaluated to analyze eight single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on the ADAM33 gene. Asthma patients were subcategorized into low and high severity groups, and their SNP data were compared with the data of the control subjects. Single-marker and haplotype association was analyzed to demonstrate the association between ADAM33 SNPs and asthma using multiple genetic statistic tests. The results indicated significant differences in allele frequencies at the SNPs rs44707/T2 (P=0.008), rs2787094/V4 (P=0.028) and rs2280089/T+1 (P=0.021) between asthma patients and control subjects. The SNP rs44707/T2 was also found to be associated with the high severity group (P=0.024), although SNPs rs2787094/V4 were associated with the low severity group (P=0.019). Two haplotypes, GGAGAGT and GAAGGGT, were significantly associated with asthma (P=0.003 and 0.008, respectively). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that SNP rs2280089/T+1 has been reported to be associated with asthma in an Asian population. These data confirm that ADAM33 polymorphisms are associated with asthma susceptibility in the Li population and confirm the uniqueness of the Li minority population within China.

ADAM-family metalloproteinases in lung inflammation: potential therapeutic targets

Acute and chronic lung inflammation is driven and controlled by several endogenous mediators that undergo proteolytic conversion from surface-expressed proteins to soluble variants by a disintegrin and metalloproteinase (ADAM)-family members. TNF and epidermal growth factor receptor ligands are just some of the many substrates by which these proteases regulate inflammatory or regenerative processes in the lung. ADAM10 and ADAM17 are the most prominent members of this protease family. They are constitutively expressed in most lung cells and, as recent research has shown, are the pivotal shedding enzymes mediating acute lung inflammation in a cell-specific manner. ADAM17 promotes endothelial and epithelial permeability, transendothelial leukocyte migration, and inflammatory mediator production by smooth muscle and epithelial cells. ADAM10 is critical for leukocyte migration and alveolar leukocyte recruitment. ADAM10 also promotes allergic asthma by driving B cell responses. Additionally, ADAM10 acts as a receptor for Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) α-toxin and is crucial for bacterial virulence. ADAM8, ADAM9, ADAM15, and ADAM33 are upregulated during acute or chronic lung inflammation, and recent functional or genetic analyses have linked them to disease development. Pharmacological inhibitors that allow us to locally or systemically target and differentiate ADAM-family members in the lung suppress acute and asthmatic inflammatory responses and S. aureus virulence. These promising results encourage further research to develop therapeutic strategies based on selected ADAMs. These studies need also to address the role of the ADAMs in repair and regeneration in the lung to identify further therapeutic opportunities and possible side effects.

Differential gene expression profiles of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in childhood asthma

OBJECTIVE

Asthma is a common childhood disease with strong genetic components. This study compared whole-genome expression differences between asthmatic young children and healthy controls to identify gene signatures of childhood asthma.

METHODS

Total RNA extracted from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was subjected to microarray analysis. QRT-PCR was performed to verify the microarray results. Classification and functional characterization of differential genes were illustrated by hierarchical clustering and gene ontology analysis. Multiple logistic regression (MLR) analysis, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, and discriminate power were used to scan asthma-specific diagnostic markers.

RESULTS

For fold-change>2 and p < 0.05, there were 758 named differential genes. The results of QRT-PCR confirmed successfully the array data. Hierarchical clustering divided 29 highly possible genes into seven categories and the genes in the same cluster were likely to possess similar expression patterns or functions. Gene ontology analysis presented that differential genes primarily enriched in immune response, response to stress or stimulus, and regulation of apoptosis in biological process. MLR and ROC curve analysis revealed that the combination of ADAM33, Smad7, and LIGHT possessed excellent discriminating power.

CONCLUSIONS

The combination of ADAM33, Smad7, and LIGHT would be a reliable and useful childhood asthma model for prediction and diagnosis.