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Fan M, Song W, Hao Z, Zhang J, Li Y, Fu J. Construction of lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network in severe asthmatic bronchial epithelial cells: A bioinformatics study. Medicine (Baltimore) 2023; 102:e34749. [PMID: 37657025 PMCID: PMC10476739 DOI: 10.1097/md.0000000000034749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 09/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Asthma is a chronic respiratory disease caused by environment-host interactions. Bronchial epithelial cells (BECs) are the first line of defense against environmental toxins. However, the mechanisms underlying the role of BECs in severe asthma (SA) are not yet fully understood. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs) have been shown to play important roles in the regulation of gene expression in the pathogenesis of SA. In this study, bioinformatics was used for the first time to reveal the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network of BECs in SA. Five mRNA datasets of bronchial brushing samples from patients with SA and healthy controls (HC) were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. A combination of the Venn diagram and robust rank aggregation (RRA) method was used to identify core differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Protein-protein interaction (PPI) analysis of core DEGs was performed to screen hub genes. The miRDB, miRWalk, and ENCORI databases were used to predict the miRNA-mRNA relationships, and the ENCORI and starBase v2.0 databases were used to predict the upstream lncRNAs of the miRNA-mRNA relationships. Four core DEGs were identified: carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 5 (CEACAM5), interleukin-1 receptor type 2 (IL1R2), trefoil factor 3 (TFF3), and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA). These 4 core DEGs indicated that SA was not significantly associated with sex. Enrichment analysis showed that the MAPK, Rap1, Ras, PI3K-Akt and Calcium signaling pathways may serve as the principal pathways of BECs in SA. A lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network of the severe asthmatic bronchial epithelium was constructed. The top 10 competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) were FGD5 antisense RNA 1 (FGD5-AS1), metastasis associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1), X inactive specific transcript (XIST), HLA complex group 18 (HCG18), small nucleolar RNA host gene 16 (SNHG16), has-miR-20b-5p, has-miR-106a-5p, hsa-miR-106b-5p, has-miR-519d-3p and Fms related receptor tyrosine kinase 1 (FLT1). Our study revealed a potential mechanism for the lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network in BECs in SA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengzhen Fan
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Wenjie Song
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine Theory Innovation and Transformation, Tianjin, China
| | - Zheng Hao
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
- Tianjin Key Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine Theory Innovation and Transformation, Tianjin, China
- Medical History Documentation Center, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Jing Zhang
- Department of General Surgery, Henan University of Science and Technology Affiliated First Hospital, Luoyang, China
| | - Yang Li
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Jinjie Fu
- School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
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Kushima Y, Shimizu Y, Hoshi H, Arai R, Ikeda N, Nakamura Y, Masawa M, Okutomi H, Yazawa N, Chibana K, Takemasa A, Niho S. Changes in Peripheral Blood Eosinophil Counts and Risk of Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis Onset after Initiation of Dupilumab Administration in Adult Patients with Asthma. J Clin Med 2023; 12:5721. [PMID: 37685789 PMCID: PMC10489050 DOI: 10.3390/jcm12175721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The purpose of this study is to clarify the changes in peripheral blood eosinophil (PBE) counts and eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) onset in patients with asthma who were treated with dupilumab in clinical practice. METHODS The primary outcome of this study is to determine the onset of EGPA in patients whose PBE counts continued to rise within 6 months of dupilumab initiation (rising group) and in patients whose PBE counts peaked and subsequently declined within 6 months (peaked and declined group). As a secondary outcome, the incidence of developing EGPA in patients with PBE counts greater than 1500 cells/μL at 3 or 6 months after dupilumab administration is investigated. RESULTS A total of 37 individual were enrolled (male/female = 14/23, median age = 57.0 years old). The development of EGPA was significantly more frequent in the rising group compared with the peaked and declined group (p = 0.042, effect size = 0.455, moderate association). Patients with PBE counts greater than 1500 cells/μL showed a significantly higher risk of developing EGPA (p = 0.017, effect size = 0.678, strong association). CONCLUSIONS Physicians should check for the onset of EGPA by monitoring the elevation of eosinophils within 6 months after dupilumab administration, especially in patients with PBE counts greater than 1500 cells/μL at 3 months.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshitomo Kushima
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine and Clinical Immunology, Dokkyo Medical University, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan; (Y.K.); (H.H.); (R.A.); (N.I.); (Y.N.); (M.M.); (H.O.); (N.Y.); (A.T.); (S.N.)
| | - Yasuo Shimizu
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine and Clinical Immunology, Dokkyo Medical University, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan; (Y.K.); (H.H.); (R.A.); (N.I.); (Y.N.); (M.M.); (H.O.); (N.Y.); (A.T.); (S.N.)
| | - Hiromi Hoshi
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine and Clinical Immunology, Dokkyo Medical University, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan; (Y.K.); (H.H.); (R.A.); (N.I.); (Y.N.); (M.M.); (H.O.); (N.Y.); (A.T.); (S.N.)
| | - Ryo Arai
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine and Clinical Immunology, Dokkyo Medical University, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan; (Y.K.); (H.H.); (R.A.); (N.I.); (Y.N.); (M.M.); (H.O.); (N.Y.); (A.T.); (S.N.)
| | - Naoya Ikeda
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine and Clinical Immunology, Dokkyo Medical University, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan; (Y.K.); (H.H.); (R.A.); (N.I.); (Y.N.); (M.M.); (H.O.); (N.Y.); (A.T.); (S.N.)
| | - Yusuke Nakamura
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine and Clinical Immunology, Dokkyo Medical University, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan; (Y.K.); (H.H.); (R.A.); (N.I.); (Y.N.); (M.M.); (H.O.); (N.Y.); (A.T.); (S.N.)
| | - Meitetsu Masawa
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine and Clinical Immunology, Dokkyo Medical University, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan; (Y.K.); (H.H.); (R.A.); (N.I.); (Y.N.); (M.M.); (H.O.); (N.Y.); (A.T.); (S.N.)
| | - Hiroaki Okutomi
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine and Clinical Immunology, Dokkyo Medical University, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan; (Y.K.); (H.H.); (R.A.); (N.I.); (Y.N.); (M.M.); (H.O.); (N.Y.); (A.T.); (S.N.)
| | - Nana Yazawa
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine and Clinical Immunology, Dokkyo Medical University, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan; (Y.K.); (H.H.); (R.A.); (N.I.); (Y.N.); (M.M.); (H.O.); (N.Y.); (A.T.); (S.N.)
| | - Kazuyuki Chibana
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Dokkyo Medical University Nikko Medical Center, Nikko City 321-2335, Japan;
| | - Akihiro Takemasa
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine and Clinical Immunology, Dokkyo Medical University, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan; (Y.K.); (H.H.); (R.A.); (N.I.); (Y.N.); (M.M.); (H.O.); (N.Y.); (A.T.); (S.N.)
| | - Seiji Niho
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine and Clinical Immunology, Dokkyo Medical University, Tochigi 321-0293, Japan; (Y.K.); (H.H.); (R.A.); (N.I.); (Y.N.); (M.M.); (H.O.); (N.Y.); (A.T.); (S.N.)
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Komel T, Omerzel M, Kamensek U, Znidar K, Lampreht Tratar U, Kranjc Brezar S, Dolinar K, Pirkmajer S, Sersa G, Cemazar M. Gene Immunotherapy of Colon Carcinoma with IL-2 and IL-12 Using Gene Electrotransfer. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12900. [PMID: 37629081 PMCID: PMC10454179 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241612900] [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] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 08/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Gene immunotherapy has become an important approach in the treatment of cancer. One example is the introduction of genes encoding immunostimulatory cytokines, such as interleukin 2 and interleukin 12, which stimulate immune cells in tumours. The aim of our study was to determine the effects of gene electrotransfer of plasmids encoding interleukin 2 and interleukin 12 individually and in combination in the CT26 murine colon carcinoma cell line in mice. In the in vitro experiment, the pulse protocol that resulted in the highest expression of IL-2 and IL-12 mRNA and proteins was used for the in vivo part. In vivo, tumour growth delay and also complete response were observed in the group treated with the plasmid combination. Compared to the control group, the highest levels of various immunostimulatory cytokines and increased immune infiltration were observed in the combination group. Long-term anti-tumour immunity was observed in the combination group after tumour re-challenge. In conclusion, our combination therapy efficiently eradicated CT26 colon carcinoma in mice and also generated strong anti-tumour immune memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tilen Komel
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloska 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (T.K.); (M.O.); (U.K.); (K.Z.); (U.L.T.); (S.K.B.); (G.S.)
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, Vrazov trg 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Masa Omerzel
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloska 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (T.K.); (M.O.); (U.K.); (K.Z.); (U.L.T.); (S.K.B.); (G.S.)
| | - Urska Kamensek
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloska 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (T.K.); (M.O.); (U.K.); (K.Z.); (U.L.T.); (S.K.B.); (G.S.)
| | - Katarina Znidar
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloska 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (T.K.); (M.O.); (U.K.); (K.Z.); (U.L.T.); (S.K.B.); (G.S.)
| | - Ursa Lampreht Tratar
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloska 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (T.K.); (M.O.); (U.K.); (K.Z.); (U.L.T.); (S.K.B.); (G.S.)
| | - Simona Kranjc Brezar
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloska 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (T.K.); (M.O.); (U.K.); (K.Z.); (U.L.T.); (S.K.B.); (G.S.)
| | - Klemen Dolinar
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Pathophysiology, University of Ljubljana, Zaloska 4, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (K.D.); (S.P.)
| | - Sergej Pirkmajer
- Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Pathophysiology, University of Ljubljana, Zaloska 4, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (K.D.); (S.P.)
| | - Gregor Sersa
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloska 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (T.K.); (M.O.); (U.K.); (K.Z.); (U.L.T.); (S.K.B.); (G.S.)
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ljubljana, Zdravstvena pot 5, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Maja Cemazar
- Department of Experimental Oncology, Institute of Oncology Ljubljana, Zaloska 2, SI-1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; (T.K.); (M.O.); (U.K.); (K.Z.); (U.L.T.); (S.K.B.); (G.S.)
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Primorska, Polje 42, SI-6310 Izola, Slovenia
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Gomułka K, Tota M, Brzdąk K. Effect of VEGF Stimulation on CD11b Receptor on Peripheral Eosinophils in Asthmatics. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24108880. [PMID: 37240226 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24108880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2023] [Revised: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Asthma is a chronic, complex disease associated with heterogeneity in molecular pathways. Airway inflammation with different cell activation (e.g., eosinophils) and with hypersecretion of many cytokines (e.g., vascular endothelial growth factor-VEGF) might be relevant for asthma pathogenesis and responsible for airway hyperresponsiveness and remodeling. The aim of our study was to reveal the expression of activation marker CD11b on peripheral eosinophils unstimulated and after VEGF in vitro stimulation in asthmatics with different degrees of airway narrowing. The study population included a total of 118 adult subjects: 78 patients with asthma (among them 39 patients with irreversible bronchoconstriction and 39 patients with reversible bronchoconstriction according to the bronchodilation test) and 40 healthy participants as a control group. CD11b expression on peripheral blood eosinophils was detected in vitro using the flow cytometric method without exogenous stimulation (negative control), after N-formyl-methionine-leucyl-phenylalanine stimulation (fMLP; positive control) and after stimulation with VEGF in two concentrations (250 ng/mL and 500 ng/mL). CD11b marker was slightly presented on unstimulated eosinophils in asthmatics and the subgroup with irreversible airway narrowing (p = 0.06 and p = 0.07, respectively). Stimulation with VEGF enhanced the activity of peripheral eosinophils and induced CD11b expression in asthmatics in comparison with a healthy control (p < 0.05), but it was dependent neither on the concentration of VEGF nor on the degree of airways narrowing in patients with asthma. We present our findings to draw attention to the potential role of VEGF in the eosinophil priming and CD11b-mediated signaling in patients with asthma which is currently undervalued.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krzysztof Gomułka
- Clinical Department of Internal Medicine, Pneumology and Allergology, Wroclaw Medical University, ul. M. Curie-Skłodowskiej 66, 50-369 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Maciej Tota
- Student Scientific Group of Adult Allergology, Wroclaw Medical University, ul. M. Curie-Skłodowskiej 66, 50-369 Wrocław, Poland
| | - Kacper Brzdąk
- Student Scientific Group of Adult Allergology, Wroclaw Medical University, ul. M. Curie-Skłodowskiej 66, 50-369 Wrocław, Poland
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Gomułka K, Liebhart J, Jaskuła E, Mędrala W. Influence of vascular endothelial growth factor on neutrophil activation in asthmatics. Postepy Dermatol Alergol 2022; 39:275-280. [PMID: 35645670 PMCID: PMC9131951 DOI: 10.5114/ada.2022.115888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Asthma is a complex syndrome associated with heterogeneity in the type of inflammation that modulates airway hyperresponsiveness and remodelling. Airway inflammation with neutrophils, cytokines like vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and various gene polymorphisms might be relevant for asthma pathogenesis. Aim To investigate the expression of CD69 and CD11b markers on peripheral neutrophils after VEGF in vitro stimulation in asthmatics. Furthermore, the possible influence of a genetic factor (del/ins genotype at -2549 -2567 position in the VEGF-promoter gene) was taken into account. Material and methods 122 subjects (82 asthmatics and 40 controls) participated in our study. CD69 and CD11b presence on peripheral blood neutrophils was detected using the flow cytometric method without exogenous stimulation (negative control), after N-formyl-methionine-leucyl-phenylalanine stimulation (fMLP - positive control) and after VEGF stimulation. Genotyping for the VEGF-promoter region was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results Peripheral neutrophil stimulation with VEGF enhances the activity of these cells and induces CD69 and CD11b expression in a dose-dependent manner compared with unstimulated neutrophils (p > 0.05). CD69 and CD11b markers were slightly presented (p = 0.05 and p = 0.07, respectively) on neutrophils stimulated with fMLP in asthmatics with the ins genotype variant in the VEGF-promoter region. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that VEGF might insignificantly activate neutrophils in asthmatics. In addition, the modulated expression of CD69 and CD11b on peripheral neutrophils is not related to potential contribution of the VEGF gene polymorphism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krzysztof Gomułka
- Department of Internal Medicine, Pneumology and Allergology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Jerzy Liebhart
- Emeritus Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Pneumology and Allergology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Emilia Jaskuła
- L. Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental Therapy, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wroclaw, Poland
| | - Wojciech Mędrala
- Department of Internal Medicine, Pneumology and Allergology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
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Peripheral blood eosinophils priming and in vitro vascular endothelial growth factor stimulation in asthmatics. Postepy Dermatol Alergol 2021; 38:850-854. [PMID: 34849133 PMCID: PMC8610052 DOI: 10.5114/ada.2021.103498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Asthma is a complex airway disease with heterogeneity in molecular pathways. Hypersecretion of many cytokines (e.g. vascular endothelial growth factor – VEGF), inflammatory cells infiltration (e.g. eosinophils) and different genetic factors (e.g. gene polymorphism) might be responsible for physiological and pathological changes in the course of this chronic disease. Aim To reveal the possible expression of activation marker CD69 on eosinophils unstimulated and stimulated by VEGF in patients with asthma. Additionally, the influence of a genetic factor (del18 genotype at -2549 -2567 position in the promoter of the VEGF gene) was considered. Material and methods The study involved 122 participants (82 patients with asthma and 40 healthy controls). CD69 expression on peripheral blood eosinophils was detected by flow cytometry without exogenous stimulation and after in vitro stimulation with VEGF. Genotyping for VEGF-promoter region was performed using the polymerase chain reaction method. Results CD69 was strongly presented (p < 0.05) on unstimulated eosinophils of patients with asthma and del18 genotype in the promoter of the VEGF gene. Stimulation of peripheral eosinophils with VEGF did not induce CD69 expression in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusions Our results may suggest the potential contribution of the VEGF gene polymorphism to the spontaneous increase of eosinophils activity (priming) in patients with asthma. In addition, the results show that VEGF is unlikely to significantly activate eosinophils in asthmatics.
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