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Özçam M, Lynch SV. The gut-airway microbiome axis in health and respiratory diseases. Nat Rev Microbiol 2024; 22:492-506. [PMID: 38778224 DOI: 10.1038/s41579-024-01048-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Communication between the gut and remote organs, such as the brain or the cardiovascular system, has been well established and recent studies provide evidence for a potential bidirectional gut-airway axis. Observations from animal and human studies indicate that respiratory insults influence the activity of the gut microbiome and that microbial ligands and metabolic products generated by the gut microbiome shape respiratory immunity. Information exchange between these two large mucosal surface areas regulates microorganism-immune interactions, with significant implications for the clinical and treatment outcomes of a range of respiratory conditions, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer. In this Review, we summarize the most recent data in this field, offering insights into mechanisms of gut-airway crosstalk across spatial and temporal gradients and their relevance for respiratory health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mustafa Özçam
- Benioff Center for Microbiome Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Susan V Lynch
- Benioff Center for Microbiome Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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2
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Fernandes KA, Lim AI. Maternal-driven immune education in offspring. Immunol Rev 2024; 323:288-302. [PMID: 38445769 DOI: 10.1111/imr.13315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Maternal environmental exposures, particularly during gestation and lactation, significantly influence the immunological development and long-term immunity of offspring. Mammalian immune systems develop through crucial inputs from the environment, beginning in utero and continuing after birth. These critical developmental windows are essential for proper immune system development and, once closed, may not be reopened. This review focuses on the mechanisms by which maternal exposures, particularly to pathogens, diet, and microbiota, impact offspring immunity. Mechanisms driving maternal-offspring immune crosstalk include transfer of maternal antibodies, changes in the maternal microbiome and microbiota-derived metabolites, and transfer of immune cells and cytokines via the placenta and breastfeeding. We further discuss the role of transient maternal infections, which are common during pregnancy, in providing tissue-specific immune education to offspring. We propose a "maternal-driven immune education" hypothesis, which suggests that offspring can use maternal encounters that occur during a critical developmental window to develop optimal immune fitness against infection and inflammation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ai Ing Lim
- Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
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3
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Steininger H, Moltzau-Anderson J, Lynch SV. Contributions of the early-life microbiome to childhood atopy and asthma development. Semin Immunol 2023; 69:101795. [PMID: 37379671 DOI: 10.1016/j.smim.2023.101795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/13/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
The rapid rise in atopy and asthma in industrialized nations has led to the identification of early life environmental factors that promote these conditions and spurred research into how such exposures may mediate the trajectory to childhood disease development. Over the past decade, the human microbiome has emerged as a key determinant of human health. This is largely due to the increasing appreciation for the myriad of non-mutually exclusive mechanisms by which microbes tune and train host immunity. Microbiomes, particularly those in early life, are shaped by extrinsic and intrinsic factors, including many of the exposures known to influence allergy and asthma risk. This has led to the over-arching hypothesis that such exposures mediate their effect on childhood atopy and asthma by altering the functions and metabolic productivity of microbiomes that shape immune function during this critical developmental period. The capacity to study microbiomes at the genetic and molecular level in humans from the pre-natal period into childhood with well-defined clinical outcomes, offers an unprecedented opportunity to identify early-life and inter-generational determinants of atopy and asthma outcomes. Moreover, such studies provide an integrative microbiome research framework that can be applied to other chronic inflammatory conditions. This review attempts to capture key studies in the field that offer insights into the developmental origins of childhood atopy and asthma, providing novel insights into microbial mediators of maladaptive immunity and chronic inflammatory disease in childhood.
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Affiliation(s)
- Holly Steininger
- Division of Gastroenterology, University of California, San Francisco, USA; Benioff Center for Microbiome Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, USA
| | - Jacqueline Moltzau-Anderson
- Division of Gastroenterology, University of California, San Francisco, USA; Benioff Center for Microbiome Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, USA
| | - Susan V Lynch
- Division of Gastroenterology, University of California, San Francisco, USA; Benioff Center for Microbiome Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, USA.
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4
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Vercelli D, Lynch SV. Interactions between host epigenetics and microbiota: Who does what to whom, when, and why? J Allergy Clin Immunol 2023:S0091-6749(23)00138-0. [PMID: 36720286 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2023.01.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Revised: 01/07/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Donata Vercelli
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Tucson, Ariz; Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, Tucson, Ariz; Arizona Center for the Biology of Complex Diseases, Tucson, Ariz; BIO5 Institute, University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz.
| | - Susan V Lynch
- Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, Calif; Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, Calif; Benioff Center for Microbiome Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, Calif.
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5
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DeVries A, McCauley K, Fadrosh D, Fujimura KE, Stern DA, Lynch SV, Vercelli D. Maternal prenatal immunity, neonatal trained immunity, and early airway microbiota shape childhood asthma development. Allergy 2022; 77:3617-3628. [PMID: 35841380 PMCID: PMC9712226 DOI: 10.1111/all.15442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2022] [Revised: 05/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The path to childhood asthma is thought to initiate in utero and be further promoted by postnatal exposures. However, the underlying mechanisms remain underexplored. We hypothesized that prenatal maternal immune dysfunction associated with increased childhood asthma risk (revealed by low IFN-γ:IL-13 secretion during the third trimester of pregnancy) alters neonatal immune training through epigenetic mechanisms and promotes early-life airway colonization by asthmagenic microbiota. METHODS We examined epigenetic, immunologic, and microbial features potentially related to maternal prenatal immunity (IFN-γ:IL-13 ratio) and childhood asthma in a birth cohort of mother-child dyads sampled pre-, peri-, and postnatally (N = 155). Epigenome-wide DNA methylation and cytokine production were assessed in cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMC) by array profiling and ELISA, respectively. Nasopharyngeal microbiome composition was characterized at age 2-36 months by 16S rRNA sequencing. RESULTS Maternal prenatal immune status related to methylome profiles in neonates born to non-asthmatic mothers. A module of differentially methylated CpG sites enriched for microbe-responsive elements was associated with childhood asthma. In vitro responsiveness to microbial products was impaired in CBMCs from neonates born to mothers with the lowest IFN-γ:IL-13 ratio, suggesting defective neonatal innate immunity in those who developed asthma during childhood. These infants exhibited a distinct pattern of upper airway microbiota development characterized by early-life colonization by Haemophilus that transitioned to a Moraxella-dominated microbiota by age 36 months. CONCLUSIONS Maternal prenatal immune status shapes asthma development in her child by altering the epigenome and trained innate immunity at birth, and is associated with pathologic upper airway microbial colonization in early life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avery DeVries
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research CenterThe University of ArizonaTucsonArizonaUSA
- The BIO5 InstituteThe University of ArizonaTucsonArizonaUSA
| | - Kathryn McCauley
- Department of MedicineUniversity of California San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
- Benioff Center for Microbiome MedicineUniversity of California San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Douglas Fadrosh
- Department of MedicineUniversity of California San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Kei E. Fujimura
- Genetic Disease LabCalifornia Department of Public HealthRichmondCaliforniaUSA
| | - Debra A. Stern
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research CenterThe University of ArizonaTucsonArizonaUSA
| | - Susan V. Lynch
- Department of MedicineUniversity of California San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
- Benioff Center for Microbiome MedicineUniversity of California San FranciscoSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Donata Vercelli
- Asthma and Airway Disease Research CenterThe University of ArizonaTucsonArizonaUSA
- The BIO5 InstituteThe University of ArizonaTucsonArizonaUSA
- Department of Cellular and Molecular MedicineThe University of ArizonaTucsonArizonaUSA
- Arizona Center for the Biology of Complex DiseasesThe University of ArizonaTucsonArizonaUSA
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6
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Wheatley LM, Holloway JW, Svanes C, Sears MR, Breton C, Fedulov AV, Nilsson E, Vercelli D, Zhang H, Togias A, Arshad SH. The role of epigenetics in multi-generational transmission of asthma: An NIAID workshop report-based narrative review. Clin Exp Allergy 2022; 52:1264-1275. [PMID: 36073598 PMCID: PMC9613603 DOI: 10.1111/cea.14223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2022] [Revised: 08/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
There is mounting evidence that environmental exposures can result in effects on health that can be transmitted across generations, without the need for a direct exposure to the original factor, for example, the effect of grandparental smoking on grandchildren. Hence, an individual's health should be investigated with the knowledge of cross-generational influences. Epigenetic factors are molecular factors or processes that regulate genome activity and may impact cross-generational effects. Epigenetic transgenerational inheritance has been demonstrated in plants and animals, but the presence and extent of this process in humans are currently being investigated. Experimental data in animals support transmission of asthma risk across generations from a single exposure to the deleterious factor and suggest that the nature of this transmission is in part due to changes in DNA methylation, the most studied epigenetic process. The association of father's prepuberty exposure with offspring risk of asthma and lung function deficit may also be mediated by epigenetic processes. Multi-generational birth cohorts are ideal to investigate the presence and impact of transfer of disease susceptibility across generations and underlying mechanisms. However, multi-generational studies require recruitment and assessment of participants over several decades. Investigation of adult multi-generation cohorts is less resource intensive but run the risk of recall bias. Statistical analysis is challenging given varying degrees of longitudinal and hierarchical data but path analyses, structural equation modelling and multilevel modelling can be employed, and directed networks addressing longitudinal effects deserve exploration as an effort to study causal pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa M. Wheatley
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious DiseaseNational Institutes of HealthBethesdaMarylandUSA
| | - John W. Holloway
- Faculty of Medicine, Human Development and HealthUniversity of SouthamptonSouthamptonUK
| | - Cecilie Svanes
- Department of Global Public Health and Primary CareUniversity of BergenBergenNorway
| | | | - Carrie Breton
- University of Southern CaliforniaLos AngelesCaliforniaUSA
| | - Alexey V. Fedulov
- Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Rhode Island HospitalProvidenceRhode IslandUSA
| | - Eric Nilsson
- Washington State University PullmanPullmanWashingtonUSA
| | | | - Hongmei Zhang
- Division of Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Environmental Health, School of Public HealthUniversity of MemphisMemphisTennesseeUSA
| | - Alkis Togias
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious DiseaseNational Institutes of HealthBethesdaMarylandUSA
| | - Syed Hasan Arshad
- Clinical and Experimental Sciences, Faculty of MedicineUniversity of SouthamptonSouthamptonUK
- The David Hide Asthma and Allergy CentreSt Mary's HospitalNewportUK
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7
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Denizli M, Capitano ML, Kua KL. Maternal obesity and the impact of associated early-life inflammation on long-term health of offspring. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:940937. [PMID: 36189369 PMCID: PMC9523142 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.940937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The prevalence of obesity is increasingly common in the United States, with ~25% of women of reproductive age being overweight or obese. Metaflammation, a chronic low grade inflammatory state caused by altered metabolism, is often present in pregnancies complicated by obesity. As a result, the fetuses of mothers who are obese are exposed to an in-utero environment that has altered nutrients and cytokines. Notably, both human and preclinical studies have shown that children born to mothers with obesity have higher risks of developing chronic illnesses affecting various organ systems. In this review, the authors sought to present the role of cytokines and inflammation during healthy pregnancy and determine how maternal obesity changes the inflammatory landscape of the mother, leading to fetal reprogramming. Next, the negative long-term impact on offspring’s health in numerous disease contexts, including offspring’s risk of developing neuropsychiatric disorders (autism, attention deficit and hyperactive disorder), metabolic diseases (obesity, type 2 diabetes), atopy, and malignancies will be discussed along with the potential of altered immune/inflammatory status in offspring as a contributor of these diseases. Finally, the authors will list critical knowledge gaps in the field of developmental programming of health and diseases in the context of offspring of mothers with obesity, particularly the understudied role of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Merve Denizli
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis IN, United States
| | - Maegan L. Capitano
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis IN, United States
| | - Kok Lim Kua
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis IN, United States
- *Correspondence: Kok Lim Kua,
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8
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Augustine T, Al-Aghbar MA, Al-Kowari M, Espino-Guarch M, van Panhuys N. Asthma and the Missing Heritability Problem: Necessity for Multiomics Approaches in Determining Accurate Risk Profiles. Front Immunol 2022; 13:822324. [PMID: 35693821 PMCID: PMC9174795 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.822324] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Asthma is ranked among the most common chronic conditions and has become a significant public health issue due to the recent and rapid increase in its prevalence. Investigations into the underlying genetic factors predict a heritable component for its incidence, estimated between 35% and 90% of causation. Despite the application of large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and admixture mapping approaches, the proportion of variants identified accounts for less than 15% of the observed heritability of the disease. The discrepancy between the predicted heritable component of disease and the proportion of heritability mapped to the currently identified susceptibility loci has been termed the ‘missing heritability problem.’ Here, we examine recent studies involving both the analysis of genetically encoded features that contribute to asthma and also the role of non-encoded heritable characteristics, including epigenetic, environmental, and developmental aspects of disease. The importance of vertical maternal microbiome transfer and the influence of maternal immune factors on fetal conditioning in the inheritance of disease are also discussed. In order to highlight the broad array of biological inputs that contribute to the sum of heritable risk factors associated with allergic disease incidence that, together, contribute to the induction of a pro-atopic state. Currently, there is a need to develop in-depth models of asthma risk factors to overcome the limitations encountered in the interpretation of GWAS results in isolation, which have resulted in the missing heritability problem. Hence, multiomics analyses need to be established considering genetic, epigenetic, and functional data to create a true systems biology-based approach for analyzing the regulatory pathways that underlie the inheritance of asthma and to develop accurate risk profiles for disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracy Augustine
- Laboratory of Immunoregulation, Systems Biology and Immunology Department, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | - Mohammad Ameen Al-Aghbar
- Laboratory of Immunoregulation, Systems Biology and Immunology Department, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | - Moza Al-Kowari
- Laboratory of Immunoregulation, Systems Biology and Immunology Department, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | - Meritxell Espino-Guarch
- Laboratory of Immunoregulation, Systems Biology and Immunology Department, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
| | - Nicholas van Panhuys
- Laboratory of Immunoregulation, Systems Biology and Immunology Department, Sidra Medicine, Doha, Qatar
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9
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DNA methylation signatures in airway cells from adult children of asthmatic mothers reflect subtypes of severe asthma. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2116467119. [PMID: 35666868 PMCID: PMC9214527 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2116467119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Maternal asthma is one of the most replicated risk factors for childhood-onset asthma. However, the underlying mechanisms are unknown. We identified DNA methylation signatures in bronchial epithelial cells from adults with asthma that were specific to those with a mother with asthma. These maternal asthma-associated methylation signatures were correlated with distinct gene regulatory pathways and clinical features. Genes in 16 pathways discriminated cases with and without maternal asthma and suggested impaired T cell signaling and responses to viral and bacterial pathogens in asthmatic children of an asthmatic mother. Our findings suggest that the prenatal environment in pregnancies of mothers with asthma alters epigenetically mediated developmental programs that may lead to severe asthma in their children through diverse gene regulatory pathways. Maternal asthma (MA) is among the most consistent risk factors for asthma in children. Possible mechanisms for this observation are epigenetic modifications in utero that have lasting effects on developmental programs in children of mothers with asthma. To test this hypothesis, we performed differential DNA methylation analyses of 398,186 individual CpG sites in primary bronchial epithelial cells (BECs) from 42 nonasthma controls and 88 asthma cases, including 56 without MA (NMA) and 32 with MA. We used weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) of 69 and 554 differentially methylated CpGs (DMCs) that were specific to NMA and MA cases, respectively, compared with controls. WGCNA grouped 66 NMA-DMCs and 203 MA-DMCs into two and five comethylation modules, respectively. The eigenvector of one MA-associated module (turquoise) was uniquely correlated with 85 genes expressed in BECs and enriched for 36 pathways, 16 of which discriminated between NMA and MA using machine learning. Genes in all 16 pathways were decreased in MA compared with NMA cases (P = 7.1 × 10−3), a finding that replicated in nasal epithelial cells from an independent cohort (P = 0.02). Functional interpretation of these pathways suggested impaired T cell signaling and responses to viral and bacterial pathogens. The MA-associated turquoise module eigenvector was additionally correlated with clinical features of severe asthma and reflective of type 2 (T2)-low asthma (i.e., low total serum immunoglobulin E, fractional exhaled nitric oxide, and eosinophilia). Overall, these data suggest that MA alters diverse epigenetically mediated pathways that lead to distinct subtypes of severe asthma in adults, including hard-to-treat T2-low asthma.
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10
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Yang DH, Chin CS, Chao WC, Lin CH, Chen YW, Chen YH, Chen HH. Association of the Risk of Childhood Asthma at Age 6 With Maternal Allergic or Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases: A Nationwide Population-Based Study. Front Med (Lausanne) 2021; 8:713262. [PMID: 34409053 PMCID: PMC8365169 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2021.713262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to assess the associations of the risk of asthma diagnosed in children aged 6 years or younger and having maternal immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMIDs), including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), systemic sclerosis (SSc), inflammatory myositis, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Sjögren's syndrome (SS), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), and autoimmune thyroiditis. Methods: A total of 628,878 singleton newborns documented in 2006-2009 and followed up for at least 6 years were identified. Overall, 153,085 (24.3%) children developed asthma at the age of ≤ 6 years. Two groups of maternal ages, i.e., <35 and ≥35 years, were evaluated. The associations of the risk of asthma occurring in children who were 6 years old or younger and had maternal IMIDs were examined. Results: The risk of asthma increased in children whose mothers had SLE [odds ratio (OR), 1.13; 95% confidence intervals (CI), 1.00-1.27; p = 0.04), RA (OR, 1.21; 95% CI, 1.07-1.38; p = 0.003), inflammatory myositis (OR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.12-1.74; p = 0.003), asthma (OR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.52-1.63), allergic rhinitis (OR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.28-1.32), or atopic dermatitis (OR, 1.07; 95% CI, 1.02-1.12). Conversely, this increased risk was not observed in children whose mothers had AS (OR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.87-1.20), SS (OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.86-1.07), SSc (OR, 1.28; 95% CI, 0.77-2.14), or autoimmune thyroiditis (OR, 1.01; 95% CI, 0.95-1.07). Other risk factors of childhood asthma included high urbanization level, preterm birth, and low birth weight. Conclusion: The risk of childhood asthma at 6 years of age increased in children whose mothers suffered from SLE, RA, inflammatory myositis, asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deng-Ho Yang
- Division of Rheumatology/Immunology/Allergy, Department of Internal Medicine, Taichung Armed Forces General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.,Department of Medical Laboratory Science and Biotechnology, Central Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taichung, Taiwan.,Division of Rheumatology/Immunology/Allergy, Department of Internal Medicine, Tri-Service General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Chun-Shih Chin
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Center, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.,Division of Chest Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Cheng Chao
- Department of Computer Science, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan.,Department of Critical Care Medicine, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Ching-Heng Lin
- Department of Industrial Engineering and Enterprise Information, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan.,Department of Medical Research, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.,Department of Healthcare Management, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taipei, Taiwan.,Department of Public Health, College of Medicine, Fu Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, Taiwan
| | - Yun-Wen Chen
- Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Hsing Chen
- Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.,School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hsin-Hua Chen
- Department of Industrial Engineering and Enterprise Information, Tunghai University, Taichung, Taiwan.,Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.,School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan.,Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Taichung Veterans General Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.,Institute of Biomedical Science and Rong-Hsing Research Center for Translational Medicine, Chung-Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan.,Institute of Public Health and Community Medicine Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
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11
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Danielewicz H, Gurgul A, Dębińska A, Myszczyszyn G, Szmatoła T, Myszkal A, Jasielczuk I, Drabik-Chamerska A, Hirnle L, Boznański A. Maternal atopy and offspring epigenome-wide methylation signature. Epigenetics 2021; 16:629-641. [PMID: 32902349 PMCID: PMC8143219 DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2020.1814504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2020] [Revised: 07/18/2020] [Accepted: 08/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The increase in the prevalence of allergic diseases is believed to partially depend on environmental changes. DNA methylation is a major epigenetic mechanism, which is known to respond to environmental factors. A number of studies have revealed that patterns of DNA methylation may potentially predict allergic diseases.Here, we examined how maternal atopy is associated with methylation patterns in the cord blood of neonates.We conducted an epigenome-wide association study in a cohort of 96 mother-child pairs. Pregnant women aged not more than 35 years old, not currently smoking or exposed to environmental tobacco smoke, who did not report obesity before conception were considered eligible. They were further tested for atopy. Converted DNA from cord blood was analysed using Infinium MethylationEPIC; for statistical analysis, RnBeads software was applied. Gestational age and sex were included as covariates in the final analysis.83 DM sites were associated with maternal atopy. Within the top DM sites, there were CpG sites which mapped to genes SCD, ITM2C, NT5C3A and NPEPL1. Regional analysis revealed 25 tiling regions, 4 genes, 3 CpG islands and 5 gene promoters, (including PIGCP1, ADAM3A, ZSCAN12P1) associated with maternal atopy. Gene content analysis revealed pointwise enrichments in pathways related to purine-containing compound metabolism, the G1/S transition of the mitotic cell cycle, stem cell division and cellular glucose homoeostasis.These findings suggest that maternal atopy provides a unique intrauterine environment that may constitute the first environment in which exposure is associated with methylation patterns in newborn.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Danielewicz
- 1st Department of Pediatrics, Allergy and Cardiology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Artur Gurgul
- Center for Experimental and Innovative Medicine, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Kraków, Poland
| | - Anna Dębińska
- 1st Department of Pediatrics, Allergy and Cardiology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Grzegorz Myszczyszyn
- 1st Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Tomasz Szmatoła
- Center for Experimental and Innovative Medicine, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Kraków, Poland
| | - Anna Myszkal
- 1st Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, University Hospital of Jan Mikulicz-Radecki in Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Igor Jasielczuk
- Center for Experimental and Innovative Medicine, University of Agriculture in Krakow, Kraków, Poland
| | - Anna Drabik-Chamerska
- 1st Department of Pediatrics, Allergy and Cardiology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Lidia Hirnle
- 1st Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Andrzej Boznański
- 1st Department of Pediatrics, Allergy and Cardiology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
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12
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Lynch SV, Vercelli D. Microbiota, Epigenetics, and Trained Immunity. Convergent Drivers and Mediators of the Asthma Trajectory from Pregnancy to Childhood. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2021; 203:802-808. [PMID: 33493428 DOI: 10.1164/rccm.202010-3779pp] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Susan V Lynch
- Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, California; and
| | - Donata Vercelli
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine & Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona
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13
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Lebold KM, Drake MG, Hales-Beck LB, Fryer AD, Jacoby DB. IL-5 Exposure In Utero Increases Lung Nerve Density and Airway Reactivity in Adult Offspring. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2020; 62:493-502. [PMID: 31821769 PMCID: PMC7110978 DOI: 10.1165/rcmb.2019-0214oc] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2019] [Accepted: 12/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Asthma is characterized by airway hyperreactivity and inflammation. In the lungs, parasympathetic and sensory nerves control airway tone and induce bronchoconstriction. Dysregulation of these nerves results in airway hyperreactivity. Humans with eosinophilic asthma have significantly increased sensory nerve density in airway epithelium, suggesting that type 2 cytokines and inflammatory cells promote nerve growth. Similarly, mice with congenital airway eosinophilia also have airway hyperreactivity and increased airway sensory nerve density. Here, we tested whether this occurs during development. We show that transgenic mice that overexpress IL-5, a cytokine required for eosinophil hematopoiesis, give birth to wild-type offspring that have significantly increased airway epithelial nerve density and airway hyperreactivity that persists into adulthood. These effects are caused by in utero exposure to maternal IL-5 and resulting fetal eosinophilia. Allergen exposure of these adult wild-type offspring results in severe airway hyperreactivity, leading to fatal reflex bronchoconstriction. Our results demonstrate that fetal exposure to IL-5 is a developmental origin of airway hyperreactivity, mediated by hyperinnervation of airway epithelium.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie M Lebold
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Matthew G Drake
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Lauren B Hales-Beck
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - Allison D Fryer
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon
| | - David B Jacoby
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon
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14
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Menzies-Gow A, McBrien CN, Baker JR, Donnelly LE, Cohen RT. Update in Asthma and Airway Inflammation 2018. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2020; 200:14-19. [PMID: 31026407 DOI: 10.1164/rccm.201902-0321up] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Menzies-Gow
- 1 Department of Respiratory Medicine, Royal Brompton Hospital, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Jonathan R Baker
- 3 National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; and
| | - Louise E Donnelly
- 3 National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom; and
| | - Robyn T Cohen
- 4 Department of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts
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15
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Lebold KM, Jacoby DB, Drake MG. Inflammatory mechanisms linking maternal and childhood asthma. J Leukoc Biol 2020; 108:113-121. [PMID: 32040236 DOI: 10.1002/jlb.3mr1219-338r] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2019] [Revised: 12/17/2019] [Accepted: 12/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disease characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness, inflammation, and remodeling. Asthma often develops during childhood and causes lifelong decrements in lung function and quality of life. Risk factors for childhood asthma are numerous and include genetic, epigenetic, developmental, and environmental factors. Uncontrolled maternal asthma during pregnancy exposes the developing fetus to inflammatory insults, which further increase the risk of childhood asthma independent of genetic predisposition. This review focuses on the role of maternal asthma in the development of asthma in offspring. We will present maternal asthma as a targetable and modifiable risk factor for childhood asthma and discuss the mechanisms by which maternal inflammation increases childhood asthma risk. Topics include how exposure to maternal asthma in utero shapes structural lung development with a special emphasis on airway nerves, how maternal type-2 cytokines such as IL-5 activate the fetal immune system, and how changes in lung and immune cell development inform responses to aero-allergens later in life. Finally, we highlight emerging evidence that maternal asthma establishes a unique "asthma signature" in the airways of children, leading to novel mechanisms of airway hyperreactivity and inflammatory cell responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katie M Lebold
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA
| | - David B Jacoby
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA
| | - Matthew G Drake
- Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA
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16
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Ege MJ. Prenatal Markers of Asthma and Maternal Asthma Status. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol 2019; 59:529-530. [PMID: 30141967 DOI: 10.1165/rcmb.2018-0211ed] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Markus J Ege
- 1 Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital Ludwig Maximilians University Munich Munich, Germany
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17
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Naeem A, Silveyra P. Sex Differences in Paediatric and Adult Asthma. EUROPEAN MEDICAL JOURNAL 2019. [DOI: 10.33590/emj/10312930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Asthma is the most common chronic condition in Western countries. Affecting 1 in 7 children and 1 in 12 adults, asthma is responsible for >350,000 avoidable deaths every year. While most children who develop symptoms of asthma are <5 years of age, the disease is frequently misdiagnosed or not suspected in infants and toddlers. In addition, the prevalence of asthma is different in males and females throughout their lifespan. While boys are more likely to develop asthma than girls, this pattern is reversed after puberty. This indicates that sex-specific factors, such as fluctuations in hormone levels, play a role in the disease’s pathogenesis. In this review, the authors discuss recent advances in diagnostic tools for asthma in both adults and children, as well as the influences of BMI, environmental exposures, socioeconomic factors, and sex hormones in the disease’s pathogenesis. The review will show that both experimental and epidemiological evidence suggest that circulating sex hormone levels are important contributors to asthma symptoms in post-pubertal females, while their role in males and children has not been yet established. In addition, the mechanisms associated with these hormonal influences on airway inflammation and hyper-reactivity have not been yet elucidated. The authors conclude that different factors affect asthma rates and severity in children and adults, and that more research needs to be conducted to identify the specific contributions of sex hormones. These will allow the development of more personalised asthma treatment strategies for men and women at different stages of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anika Naeem
- Pulmonary, Immunology and Physiology Laboratory, Department of Pediatrics, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Patricia Silveyra
- Pulmonary, Immunology and Physiology Laboratory, Department of Pediatrics, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
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18
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Naeem A, Silveyra P. Sex Differences in Paediatric and Adult Asthma. EUROPEAN MEDICAL JOURNAL 2019; 4:27-35. [PMID: 31328173 PMCID: PMC6641536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Asthma is the most common chronic condition in Western countries. Affecting 1 in 7 children and 1 in 12 adults, asthma is responsible for >350,000 avoidable deaths every year. While most children who develop symptoms of asthma are <5 years of age, the disease is frequently misdiagnosed or not suspected in infants and toddlers. In addition, the prevalence of asthma is different in males and females throughout their lifespan. While boys are more likely to develop asthma than girls, this pattern is reversed after puberty. This indicates that sex-specific factors, such as fluctuations in hormone levels, play a role in the disease's pathogenesis. In this review, the authors discuss recent advances in diagnostic tools for asthma in both adults and children, as well as the influences of BMI, environmental exposures, socioeconomic factors, and sex hormones in the disease's pathogenesis. The review will show that both experimental and epidemiological evidence suggest that circulating sex hormone levels are important contributors to asthma symptoms in post-pubertal females, while their role in males and children has not been yet established. In addition, the mechanisms associated with these hormonal influences on airway inflammation and hyper-reactivity have not been yet elucidated. The authors conclude that different factors affect asthma rates and severity in children and adults, and that more research needs to be conducted to identify the specific contributions of sex hormones. These will allow the development of more personalised asthma treatment strategies for men and women at different stages of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anika Naeem
- Pulmonary, Immunology and Physiology Laboratory, Department of Pediatrics, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA,Correspondence to
| | - Patricia Silveyra
- Pulmonary, Immunology and Physiology Laboratory, Department of Pediatrics, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
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19
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Shah R, Newcomb DC. Sex Bias in Asthma Prevalence and Pathogenesis. Front Immunol 2018; 9:2997. [PMID: 30619350 PMCID: PMC6305471 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.02997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2018] [Accepted: 12/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Sex-related differences in asthma prevalence are well established and change through the reproductive phases of life. As children, boys have increased prevalence of asthma compared to girls. However, as adults, women have increased prevalence of asthma compared to men. Many factors, including genetics, environment, immunological responses, and sex hormones, affect the sex disparity associated with the development and control of asthma and other allergic diseases. Fluctuations of hormones during puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause, alter asthma symptoms and severity. In this article, we review clinical and epidemiological studies that examined the sex disparity in asthma and other allergic diseases as well as the role of sex hormones on asthma pathogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruchi Shah
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Dawn C Newcomb
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States.,Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States
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20
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Predicting childhood asthma development: are early life metabolite levels the philosopher's stone to unlock the puzzle? Pediatr Res 2018; 84:593-594. [PMID: 30131594 DOI: 10.1038/s41390-018-0119-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2018] [Accepted: 07/03/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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21
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DeVries A, Vercelli D. Of pleiotropy and trajectories: Does the TGF-β pathway link childhood asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease? J Allergy Clin Immunol 2018; 141:1992-1996. [PMID: 29709672 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2018.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2018] [Revised: 04/22/2018] [Accepted: 04/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
The study of developmental trajectories is where epigenetics truly shines. The "epi" in epigenetics captures the fact that although epigenetic processes also preside over the maintenance and termination of gene expression, the unfolding and remodeling of chromatin architecture are especially critical to prepare genes for regulated transcription. These properties imply being on a path, a trajectory to events that will occur later thanks to epigenetic programming. Thus epigenetics is about timed and timely events. In this article we discuss epigenetic and genetic evidence from several independent studies of asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung function, which converge to highlight a potential role of the TGF-β gene pathway in these processes. These results raise the possibility that at least in a subset of subjects, these conditions might be functionally connected in ways that need to be further defined but that likely reflect the uniquely pleiotropic nature of TGF-β pathway genes, particularly their ability to control both lung development and immune responses essential for regulation and inflammation. Further characterization of this pathway in longitudinally phenotyped populations might unmask novel trajectories to lung disease that begin in utero and unfold into old age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avery DeVries
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Arizona Center for the Biology of Complex Diseases, and Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz
| | - Donata Vercelli
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, Arizona Center for the Biology of Complex Diseases, and Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz.
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