TY - JOUR
T1 - Metabolic differences between bronchial epithelium from healthy individuals and patients with asthma and the effect of bronchial thermoplasty
AU - Ravi, Abilash
AU - Goorsenberg, Annika W. M.
AU - Dijkhuis, Annemiek
AU - Dierdorp, Barbara S.
AU - Dekker, Tamara
AU - van Weeghel, Michel
AU - Sabogal Piñeros, Yanaika S.
AU - Shah, Pallav L.
AU - ten Hacken, Nick H. T.
AU - Annema, Jouke T.
AU - Sterk, Peter J.
AU - Vaz, Frédéric M.
AU - Bonta, Peter I.
AU - Lutter, René
N1 - Funding Information: Supported by the Netherlands Asthma Foundation (currently the Lung Foundation [projects 3.2.10.069, 3.2.07.012, and 3.2.06.031]), GSK (CRT 114696), and Stichting Astma Bestrijding (project 2013_009). The explorative trial RILCO (Role of Innate Lymphoid Cells in COPD) was supported in part by Medimmune (Gaithersburg, Md). The TASMA (Unravelling Targets of Therapy in Bronchial Thermoplasty in Severe Asthma) trial is funded by the Netherlands Lung Foundation (grant 5.2.13.064JO), The Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development (ZonMw grant 90713477), and Boston Scientific Corporation. Publisher Copyright: © 2021 The Authors
PY - 2021/11
Y1 - 2021/11
N2 - Background: Asthma is a heterogeneous disease with differences in onset, severity, and inflammation. Bronchial epithelial cells (BECs) contribute to asthma pathophysiology. Objective: We determined whether transcriptomes of BECs reflect heterogeneity in inflammation and severity in asthma, and whether this was affected in BECs from patients with severe asthma after their regeneration by bronchial thermoplasty. Methods: RNA sequencing was performed on BECs obtained by bronchoscopy from healthy controls (n = 16), patients with mild asthma (n = 17), patients with moderate asthma (n = 5), and patients with severe asthma (n = 17), as well as on BECs from treated and untreated airways of the latter (also 6 months after bronchial thermoplasty) (n = 23). Lipidome and metabolome analyses were performed on cultured BECs from healthy controls (n = 7); patients with severe asthma (n = 9); and, for comparison, patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (n = 7). Results: Transcriptome analysis of BECs from patients showed a reduced expression of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) genes, most profoundly in patients with severe asthma but less profoundly and more heterogeneously in patients with mild asthma. Genes related to fatty acid metabolism were significantly upregulated in asthma. Lipidomics revealed enhanced levels of lipid species (phosphatidylcholines, lysophosphatidylcholines. and bis(monoacylglycerol)phosphate), whereas levels of OXPHOS metabolites were reduced in BECs from patients with severe asthma. BECs from patients with mild asthma characterized by hyperresponsive production of mediators implicated in neutrophilic inflammation had decreased expression of OXPHOS genes compared with that in BECs from patients with mild asthma with normoresponsive production. BECs obtained after thermoplasty had significantly increased expression of OXPHOS genes and decreased expression of fatty acid metabolism genes compared with BECs obtained from untreated airways. Conclusion: BECs in patients with asthma are metabolically different from those in healthy individuals. These differences are linked with inflammation and asthma severity, and they can be reversed by bronchial thermoplasty.
AB - Background: Asthma is a heterogeneous disease with differences in onset, severity, and inflammation. Bronchial epithelial cells (BECs) contribute to asthma pathophysiology. Objective: We determined whether transcriptomes of BECs reflect heterogeneity in inflammation and severity in asthma, and whether this was affected in BECs from patients with severe asthma after their regeneration by bronchial thermoplasty. Methods: RNA sequencing was performed on BECs obtained by bronchoscopy from healthy controls (n = 16), patients with mild asthma (n = 17), patients with moderate asthma (n = 5), and patients with severe asthma (n = 17), as well as on BECs from treated and untreated airways of the latter (also 6 months after bronchial thermoplasty) (n = 23). Lipidome and metabolome analyses were performed on cultured BECs from healthy controls (n = 7); patients with severe asthma (n = 9); and, for comparison, patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (n = 7). Results: Transcriptome analysis of BECs from patients showed a reduced expression of oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) genes, most profoundly in patients with severe asthma but less profoundly and more heterogeneously in patients with mild asthma. Genes related to fatty acid metabolism were significantly upregulated in asthma. Lipidomics revealed enhanced levels of lipid species (phosphatidylcholines, lysophosphatidylcholines. and bis(monoacylglycerol)phosphate), whereas levels of OXPHOS metabolites were reduced in BECs from patients with severe asthma. BECs from patients with mild asthma characterized by hyperresponsive production of mediators implicated in neutrophilic inflammation had decreased expression of OXPHOS genes compared with that in BECs from patients with mild asthma with normoresponsive production. BECs obtained after thermoplasty had significantly increased expression of OXPHOS genes and decreased expression of fatty acid metabolism genes compared with BECs obtained from untreated airways. Conclusion: BECs in patients with asthma are metabolically different from those in healthy individuals. These differences are linked with inflammation and asthma severity, and they can be reversed by bronchial thermoplasty.
KW - Bronchial epithelium
KW - metabolism
KW - thermoplasty
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85102785374&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2020.12.653
DO - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2020.12.653
M3 - Article
C2 - 33556463
SN - 0091-6749
VL - 148
SP - 1236
EP - 1248
JO - Journal of allergy and clinical immunology
JF - Journal of allergy and clinical immunology
IS - 5
ER -