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Miller RL, Rivera J, Lichtiger L, Govindarajulu US, Jung KH, Lovinsky-Desir S, Perera F, Balcer Whaley S, Newman M, Grant TL, McCormack M, Perzanowski M, Matsui EC. Associations between mitochondrial biomarkers, urban residential exposures and childhood asthma outcomes over 6 months. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2023; 239:117342. [PMID: 37813137 PMCID: PMC10843300 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 09/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/07/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023]
Abstract
Determining biomarkers of responses to environmental exposures and evaluating whether they predict respiratory outcomes may help optimize environmental and medical approaches to childhood asthma. Relative mitochondrial (mt) DNA abundance and other potential mitochondrial indicators of oxidative stress may provide a sensitive metric of the child's shifting molecular responses to its changing environment. We leveraged two urban childhood cohorts (Environmental Control as Add-on Therapy in Childhood Asthma (ECATCh); Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH)) to ascertain whether biomarkers in buccal mtDNA associate with airway inflammation and altered lung function over 6 months of time and capture biologic responses to multiple external stressors such as indoor allergens and fine particulate matter (PM2.5). Relative mtDNA content was amplified by qPCR and methylation of transfer RNA phenylalanine/rRNA 12S (TF/RNR1), cytochrome c oxidase (CO1), and carboxypeptidase O (CPO) was measured by pyrosequencing. Data on residential exposures and respiratory outcomes were harmonized between the two cohorts. Repeated measures and multiple regression models were utilized to assess relationships between mitochondrial biomarkers, respiratory outcomes, and residential exposures (PM2.5, allergens), adjusted for potential confounders and time-varying asthma. We found across the 6 month visits, a 0.64 fold higher level of TF/RNR1 methylation was detected among those with asthma in comparison to those without asthma ((parameter estimate (PE) 0.64, standard error 0.28, p = 0.03). In prospective analyses, CPO methylation was associated with subsequent reduced forced vital capacity (FVC; PE -0.03, standard error 0.01, p = 0.02). Bedroom dust mouse allergen, but not indoor PM2.5, was associated with higher methylation of TF/RNR1 (PE 0.015, standard error 0.006, p = 0.01). Select mtDNA measures in buccal cells may indicate children's responses to toxic environmental exposures and associate selectively with asthma and lung function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel L Miller
- Division of Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA; Columbia Center for Childrens Environmental Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 722 West 168th Street, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
| | - Janelle Rivera
- Division of Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Lydia Lichtiger
- Division of Clinical Immunology, Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Usha S Govindarajulu
- Center for Biostatistics, Department of Population Health Science and Policy, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, One Gustave L. Levy Place, New York, NY, 10029, USA
| | - Kyung Hwa Jung
- Division of Pediatric Pulmonary, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, 630 W. 168th St, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Stephanie Lovinsky-Desir
- Division of Pediatric Pulmonary, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, 630 W. 168th St, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Frederica Perera
- Columbia Center for Childrens Environmental Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 722 West 168th Street, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Susan Balcer Whaley
- Department of Population Health, Dell Medical School University of Texas at Austin, 1601 Trinity St., Bldg. B, Stop Z0500, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Michelle Newman
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Maryland, 10 S. Pine St, MSTF 3-34, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA
| | - Torie L Grant
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Meredith McCormack
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Matthew Perzanowski
- Columbia Center for Childrens Environmental Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, 722 West 168th Street, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Elizabeth C Matsui
- Department of Population Health, Dell Medical School University of Texas at Austin, 1601 Trinity St., Bldg. B, Stop Z0500, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
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Powell WT, Reeves SR. From small to big, using microRNA profiling to investigate infant origins of childhood asthma. Eur Respir J 2023; 62:2301052. [PMID: 37536728 DOI: 10.1183/13993003.01052-2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Weston T Powell
- Division of Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
- Center for Respiratory Biology and Therapeutics, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Stephen R Reeves
- Division of Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
- Center for Respiratory Biology and Therapeutics, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
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Down-regulation of Tet2 is associated with Foxp3 TSDR hypermethylation in regulatory T cell of allergic rhinitis. Life Sci 2020; 241:117101. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lfs.2019.117101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2019] [Revised: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Asthma is one of the most common chronic respiratory diseases linked with increased morbidity and healthcare utilization. The underlying pathophysiological processes and causal relationships of asthma with epigenetic mechanisms are partially understood. Here we review human studies of epigenetic mechanisms in asthma, with a special focus on DNA methylation. RECENT FINDINGS Epigenetic studies of childhood asthma have identified specific methylation signatures associated with allergic inflammation in the airway and immune cells, demonstrating a regulatory role for methylation in asthma pathogenesis. Despite these novel findings, additional research in the role of epigenetic mechanisms underlying asthma endotypes is needed. Similarly, studies of histone modifications are also lacking in asthma. Future studies of epigenetic mechanisms in asthma will benefit from data integration in well phenotyped cohorts. This review provides an overview of the current literature on epigenetic studies in human asthma, with special emphasis on methylation and childhood asthma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose L Gomez
- Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep, Yale University School of Medicine, 300 Cedar Street, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA.
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Understanding Root Causes of Asthma. Perinatal Environmental Exposures and Epigenetic Regulation. Ann Am Thorac Soc 2019; 15:S103-S108. [PMID: 29676631 DOI: 10.1513/annalsats.201706-514mg] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
A common explanation for the origins and rising prevalence of asthma is that they involve complex interactions between hereditary predispositions and environmental exposures that are incompletely understood. Yet, emerging evidence substantiates the paradigm that environmental exposures prenatally and during very early childhood induce epigenetic alterations that affect the expression of asthma genes and, thereby, asthma itself. Here, we review much of the key evidence supporting this paradigm. First, we describe evidence that the prenatal and early postnatal periods are key time windows of susceptibility to environmental exposures that may trigger asthma. Second, we explain how environmental epigenetic regulation may explain the immunopathology underlying asthma. Third, we outline specific evidence that environmental exposures induce epigenetic regulation, both from animal models and robust human epidemiological research. Finally, we review some emerging topics, including the importance of coexposures, population divergence, and how epigenetic regulation may change over time. Despite all the inherent complexity, great progress has been made toward understanding what we still consider reversible asthma risk factors. These, in time, may impact patient care.
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Qi C, Xu CJ, Koppelman GH. The role of epigenetics in the development of childhood asthma. Expert Rev Clin Immunol 2019; 15:1287-1302. [PMID: 31674254 DOI: 10.1080/1744666x.2020.1686977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Introduction: The development of childhood asthma is caused by a combination of genetic factors and environmental exposures. Epigenetics describes mechanisms of (heritable) regulation of gene expression that occur without changes in DNA sequence. Epigenetics is strongly related to aging, is cell-type specific, and includes DNA methylation, noncoding RNAs, and histone modifications.Areas covered: This review summarizes recent epigenetic studies of childhood asthma in humans, which mostly involve studies of DNA methylation published in the recent five years. Environmental exposures, in particular cigarette smoking, have significant impact on epigenetic changes, but few of these epigenetic signals are also associated with asthma. Several asthma-associated genetic variants relate to DNA methylation. Epigenetic signals can be better understood by studying their correlation with gene expression, which revealed higher presence and activation of blood eosinophils in asthma. Strong associations of nasal methylation signatures and atopic asthma were identified, which were replicable across different populations.Expert commentary: Epigenetic markers have been strongly associated with asthma, and might serve as biomarker of asthma. The causal and longitudinal relationships between epigenetics and disease, and between environmental exposures and epigenetic changes need to be further investigated. Efforts should be made to understand cell-type-specific epigenetic mechanisms in asthma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cancan Qi
- Dept. of Pediatric Pulmonology and Pediatric Allergology, Beatrix Children's Hospital, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.,GRIAC Research Institute, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Cheng-Jian Xu
- Dept. of Pediatric Pulmonology and Pediatric Allergology, Beatrix Children's Hospital, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.,GRIAC Research Institute, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.,Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, CiiM, Centre for individualised infection medicine, A joint venture between Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Hannover, Germany.,TWINCORE, Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, a joint venture between the Hannover Medical School and the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Hannover, Germany
| | - Gerard H Koppelman
- Dept. of Pediatric Pulmonology and Pediatric Allergology, Beatrix Children's Hospital, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.,GRIAC Research Institute, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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Asthma in inner city children: recent insights: United States. Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol 2019; 18:139-147. [PMID: 29406360 DOI: 10.1097/aci.0000000000000423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Children living in US inner cities experience disparate burdens of asthma, especially in severity, impairment, exacerbations, and morbidity. Investigations seeking to better understand the factors and mechanisms underlying asthma prevalence, severity, and exacerbation in children living in these communities can lead to interventions that can narrow asthma disparities and potentially benefit all children with asthma. This update will focus on recent (i.e. late 2016-2017) advances in the understanding of asthma in US inner city children. RECENT FINDINGS Studies published in the past year expand understanding of asthma prevalence, severity, exacerbation, and the outcomes of guidelines-based management of these at-risk children, including: asthma phenotypes in US inner city children that are severe and difficult-to-control; key environmental determinants and mechanisms underlying asthma severity and exacerbations (e.g. allergy-mediated exacerbation susceptibility to rhinovirus); the importance of schools as a place for provocative exposures (e.g. mouse allergen, nitrogen dioxide) as well as a place where asthma care and outcomes can be improved; and the development and validation of clinically useful indices for gauging asthma severity and predicting exacerbations. SUMMARY These recent studies provide a trove of actionable findings that can improve asthma care and outcomes for these at-risk children.
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Lovinsky-Desir S, Jung KH, Jezioro JR, Torrone DZ, de Planell-Saguer M, Yan B, Perera FP, Rundle AG, Perzanowski MS, Chillrud SN, Miller RL. Physical activity, black carbon exposure, and DNA methylation in the FOXP3 promoter. Clin Epigenetics 2017. [PMID: 28630656 PMCID: PMC5470266 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-017-0364-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Physical activity is associated with improvement in lung function; however, pollution exposure during physical activity can lead to a transient reduction in lung function. This paradoxical relationship may be linked to altered T regulatory (Treg) cell activity, which increases with exercise and suppresses airway inflammation, but decreases in association with exposure to air pollution. To clarify these relationships, we investigated buccal cell DNA methylation of the forkhead box p3 (FOXP3) gene promoter, a proposed biomarker of Treg activity. We hypothesized that active urban children would have lower FOXP3 promoter methylation, associated with better lung function compared to non-active children. We also hypothesized that this relationship would be attenuated by high exposure to the air pollutant black carbon (BC). Methods We performed a cross-sectional study of 135 children ages 9–14 who live in New York City. Activity was measured across 6 days. BC exposure was assessed by personal monitors worn for two 24-h periods, followed by lung function assessment. Buccal swabs were collected for DNA methylation analysis of three regions (six CpG sites) in the FOXP3 promoter. Results In multivariable regression models, overall, there was no significant relationship between physical activity and FOXP3 promoter methylation (p > 0.05). However, in stratified analyses, among children with higher BC exposure (≥1200 ng/m3), physical activity was associated with 2.37% lower methylation in promoter 2 (CpGs −77, −65, and −58) (βestimate = −2.37%, p < 0.01) but not among those with lower BC exposure (βestimate = 0.54%, p > 0.05). Differences across strata were statistically significant (pinteraction = 0.04). Among all children, after controlling for BC concentration, promoter 2 methylation was associated with reduced FEV1/FVC (βestimate = −0.40%, p < 0.01) and reduced FEF25–75% (βestimate = −1.46%, p < 0.01). Conclusions Physical activity in urban children appeared associated with lower FOXP3 promoter methylation, a possible indicator of greater Treg function, under conditions of high BC exposure. Reduced FOXP3 promoter methylation was associated with higher lung function. These findings suggest that physical activity may induce immunologic benefits, particularly for urban children with greater risk of impaired lung function due to exposure to higher air pollution. FOXP3 promoter buccal cell methylation may function as a useful biomarker of that benefit. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13148-017-0364-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Lovinsky-Desir
- Division of Pediatric Pulmonology, Department of Pediatrics, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, 3959 Broadway CHC-745, New York, NY 10032 USA
| | - Kyung Hwa Jung
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care of Medicine, Department of Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, PH8E-101, 630 W. 168 St, New York, NY 10032 USA
| | - Jacqueline R Jezioro
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care of Medicine, Department of Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, PH8E-101, 630 W. 168 St, New York, NY 10032 USA
| | - David Z Torrone
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care of Medicine, Department of Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, PH8E-101, 630 W. 168 St, New York, NY 10032 USA
| | | | - Beizhan Yan
- Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, 61 Rt, 9 W Palisades, New York, 10964 NY USA
| | - Frederica P Perera
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences and Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 W. 168 St, New York, NY 10032 USA
| | - Andrew G Rundle
- Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 W. 168 St, New York, NY 10032 USA
| | - Matthew S Perzanowski
- Department of Environmental Health Sciences and Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 W. 168 St, New York, NY 10032 USA
| | - Steven N Chillrud
- Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, 61 Rt, 9 W Palisades, New York, 10964 NY USA
| | - Rachel L Miller
- Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care of Medicine, Department of Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, PH8E-101, 630 W. 168 St, New York, NY 10032 USA.,Department of Environmental Health Sciences and Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 W. 168 St, New York, NY 10032 USA.,Division of Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology, Department of Pediatrics, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, PH8E-101, 630 W. 168 St, New York, NY 10032 USA
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