Peripheral compartment innate immune response to Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients.

Alterations in innate immunity that predispose to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations are poorly understood. We examined innate immunity gene expression in peripheral blood polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) and monocytes stimulated by Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Thirty COPD patients (15 rapid and 15 non-rapid lung function decliners) and 15 smokers without COPD were studied. Protein expression of IL-8, IL-6, TNF-α and IFN-γ (especially monocytes) increased with bacterial challenge. In monocytes stimulated with S. pneumoniae, TNF-α protein expression was higher in COPD (non-rapid decliners) than in smokers. In co-cultures of monocytes and PMN, mRNA expression of TGF-ß1 and MYD88 was up-regulated, and CD14, TLR2 and IFN-γ down-regulated with H. influenzae challenge. TNF-α mRNA expression was increased with H. influenzae challenge in COPD. Cytokine responses were similar between rapid and non-rapid decliners. TNF-α expression was up-regulated in non-rapid decliners in response to H. influenzae (monocytes) and S. pneumoniae (co-culture of monocytes and PMN). Exposure to bacterial pathogens causes characteristic innate immune responses in peripheral blood monocytes and PMN in COPD. Bacterial exposure significantly alters the expression of TNF-α in COPD patients, although not consistently. There did not appear to be major differences in innate immune responses between rapid and non-rapid decliners.

Expression profiling identifies genes involved in emphysema severity.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major public health problem. The aim of this study was to identify genes involved in emphysema severity in COPD patients.Gene expression profiling was performed on total RNA extracted from non-tumor lung tissue from 30 smokers with emphysema. Class comparison analysis based on gas transfer measurement was performed to identify differentially expressed genes. Genes were then selected for technical validation by quantitative reverse transcriptase-PCR (qRT-PCR) if also represented on microarray platforms used in previously published emphysema studies. Genes technically validated advanced to tests of biological replication by qRT-PCR using an independent test set of 62 lung samples.Class comparison identified 98 differentially expressed genes (p < 0.01). Fifty-one of those genes had been previously evaluated in differentiation between normal and severe emphysema lung. qRT-PCR confirmed the direction of change in expression in 29 of the 51 genes and 11 of those validated, remaining significant at p < 0.05. Biological replication in an independent cohort confirmed the altered expression of eight genes, with seven genes differentially expressed by greater than 1.3 fold, identifying these as candidate determinants of emphysema severity.Gene expression profiling of lung from emphysema patients identified seven candidate genes associated with emphysema severity including COL6A3, SERPINF1, ZNHIT6, NEDD4, CDKN2A, NRN1 and GSTM3.

Epigenomic targets for the treatment of respiratory disease.

BACKGROUND: A number of processes lead to epigenetic and epigenomic modifications. OBJECTIVE: To address the importance of epigenomics in respiratory disease. METHODS: Studies of epigenomics were analysed in relation to chronic respiratory diseases. RESULTS/CONCLUSION: In lung cancer and mesothelioma, a number of genes involved in carcinogenesis have been demonstrated to be hypermethylated, implicating epigenomic changes in the aetiology of these cancers. Hypermethylated genes have also been associated with lung cancer recurrence, indicating epigenomic regulation of metastasis. In airway diseases, modulation of histone function may activate inflammatory mechanisms in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients and lead to relative steroid resistance. There is emerging evidence for the role of epigenetic changes in chronic lung diseases such as asthma, including responses to environmental exposures in utero and to the effects of air pollution. Insight into epigenomics will lead to the development of novel biomarkers and treatment targets in respiratory diseases.