Recent Advances in Asthma Research in a Multiomics Era

A special issue of Biomedicines (ISSN 2227-9059). This special issue belongs to the section "Cell Biology and Pathology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2024 | Viewed by 6776

Special Issue Editors

Department of Clinical Science and Education, Söderjukhuset, Karolinska Institutet, Sjukhusbacken 10, 118 83 Stockholm, Sweden
Interests: asthma; pharmacogenetics; genetics; genomics; transcriptomics; genome-wide association study
Genomics and Health Group, Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology, Cell Biology and Genetics, Universidad de La Laguna, 38200 San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Spain
Interests: asthma; genomics; epigenetics; population genetics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Asthma is a heterogenous respiratory disease with an economic and social burden that remains substantial despite great research efforts for decades. Furthermore, it is considered the most common chronic disease in childhood and young adulthood, where the most severe state of this condition is commonly presented. This is precisely a key lifetime period for the control and progression of the disease. Childhood-onset asthma might persist during young adulthood, even though the remission of symptoms may occur during adolescence. Indeed, severe asthma with a substantial decline in pulmonary capacity during childhood has been evidenced as an important risk factor for persistent asthma and other chronic airway diseases later in life, linked to high morbidity and mortality rates.

It is well known that asthma is a complex condition as the result of intricate interactions between numerous endogenous and exogenous factors. Among these, the important contribution of the individual’s genetic composition and environmental exposures has been widely evidenced. Nonetheless, we are still far from understanding the complete picture of the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying this disease, with the identification of novel disease biomarkers remaining necessary. These might contribute to the accurate diagnosis of asthma, effective treatment and disease control, early identification of those patients at higher risk for adulthood chronic airway disease, and the development of alternative preventive and therapeutic strategies in a personalized manner.

Genetics has taken the lead in the molecular and mechanistic investigation of asthma mostly through hypothesis-driven methods, but with a solid deviation to a genomic framework in the last decade. Nevertheless, the application of other single-omics sources is still underrepresented, with very scarce efforts on the combination of several layers through multiomics approaches.

This Special Issue aims to focus on recent advances and applications of single- and combined omics approaches to the asthma field with a focus not only on disease susceptibility but also different asthma-related traits (e.g., treatment response, severity and progression, clinical phenotypes, interaction with environmental and host factors, lung function measurements).  Both original research and review articles are welcome.

Dr. Natalia Hernandez-Pacheco
Dr. Esther Herrera-Luis
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • asthma
  • breathomics
  • epigenomics
  • exposome
  • genomics
  • molecular biomarker
  • precision medicine
  • proteomics
  • transcriptomics
  • metabolomics
  • microbiome

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 1440 KiB  
Article
Epigenome-Wide Association Studies of the Fractional Exhaled Nitric Oxide and Bronchodilator Drug Response in Moderate-to-Severe Pediatric Asthma
by Mario Martin-Almeida, Javier Perez-Garcia, Esther Herrera-Luis, Carlos Rosa-Baez, Mario Gorenjak, Anne H. Neerincx, Olaia Sardón-Prado, Antoaneta A. Toncheva, Susanne Harner, Christine Wolff, Susanne Brandstetter, Elisa Valletta, Mahmoud I. Abdel-Aziz, Simone Hashimoto, Vojko Berce, Paula Corcuera-Elosegui, Javier Korta-Murua, Heike Buntrock-Döpke, Susanne J. H. Vijverberg, Joris C. Verster, Nikki Kerssemakers, Anna M Hedman, Catarina Almqvist, Jesús Villar, Aletta D. Kraneveld, Uroš Potočnik, Michael Kabesch, Anke H. Maitland-van der Zee, Maria Pino-Yanes and on behalf of the SysPharmPediA Consortiumadd Show full author list remove Hide full author list
Biomedicines 2023, 11(3), 676; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines11030676 - 23 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2145
Abstract
Asthma is the most prevalent pediatric chronic disease. Bronchodilator drug response (BDR) and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) are clinical biomarkers of asthma. Although DNA methylation (DNAm) contributes to asthma pathogenesis, the influence of DNAm on BDR and FeNO is scarcely investigated. This [...] Read more.
Asthma is the most prevalent pediatric chronic disease. Bronchodilator drug response (BDR) and fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) are clinical biomarkers of asthma. Although DNA methylation (DNAm) contributes to asthma pathogenesis, the influence of DNAm on BDR and FeNO is scarcely investigated. This study aims to identify DNAm markers in whole blood associated either with BDR or FeNO in pediatric asthma. We analyzed 121 samples from children with moderate-to-severe asthma. The association of genome-wide DNAm with BDR and FeNO has been assessed using regression models, adjusting for age, sex, ancestry, and tissue heterogeneity. Cross-tissue validation was assessed in 50 nasal samples. Differentially methylated regions (DMRs) and enrichment in traits and biological pathways were assessed. A false discovery rate (FDR) < 0.1 and a genome-wide significance threshold of p < 9 × 10−8 were used to control for false-positive results. The CpG cg12835256 (PLA2G12A) was genome-wide associated with FeNO in blood samples (coefficient= −0.015, p = 2.53 × 10−9) and nominally associated in nasal samples (coefficient = −0.015, p = 0.045). Additionally, three CpGs were suggestively associated with BDR (FDR < 0.1). We identified 12 and four DMRs associated with FeNO and BDR (FDR < 0.05), respectively. An enrichment in allergic and inflammatory processes, smoking, and aging was observed. We reported novel associations of DNAm markers associated with BDR and FeNO enriched in asthma-related processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Asthma Research in a Multiomics Era)
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Review

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18 pages, 1952 KiB  
Review
Obesity-Associated Non-T2 Mechanisms in Obese Asthmatic Individuals
by Harshita Shailesh, Ajaz A. Bhat and Ibrahim A. Janahi
Biomedicines 2023, 11(10), 2797; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines11102797 - 16 Oct 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1126
Abstract
Obesity and asthma are two common health issues that have shown increased prevalence in recent years and have become a significant socioeconomic burden worldwide. Obesity increases asthma incidence and severity. Obese asthmatic individuals often experience increased exacerbation rates, enhanced airway remodeling, and reduced [...] Read more.
Obesity and asthma are two common health issues that have shown increased prevalence in recent years and have become a significant socioeconomic burden worldwide. Obesity increases asthma incidence and severity. Obese asthmatic individuals often experience increased exacerbation rates, enhanced airway remodeling, and reduced response to standard corticosteroid therapy. Recent studies indicate that obesity-associated non-T2 factors such as mechanical stress, hyperinsulinemia, systemic inflammation, adipose tissue mediators, metabolic dysregulation, microbiome dysbiosis, and high-fat-diet are responsible for increased asthma symptoms and reduced therapeutic response in obese asthmatic individuals. This manuscript reviews the recent findings highlighting the role of obesity-associated factors that contribute to airway hyper-reactivity, airway inflammation and remodeling, and immune cell dysfunction, consequently contributing to worsening asthma symptoms. Furthermore, the review also discusses the possible future therapies that might play a role in reducing asthma symptoms by diminishing the impact of obesity-associated non-T2 factors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Asthma Research in a Multiomics Era)
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17 pages, 1286 KiB  
Review
The Role of the Microbiome in the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Asthma
by Katarzyna Logoń, Gabriela Świrkosz, Monika Nowak, Martyna Wrześniewska, Aleksandra Szczygieł and Krzysztof Gomułka
Biomedicines 2023, 11(6), 1618; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines11061618 - 02 Jun 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2246
Abstract
The role of the microbiome in the pathogenesis and treatment of asthma is significant. The purpose of this article is to show the interplay between asthma and the microbiome, and main areas that require further research are also highlighted. The literature search was [...] Read more.
The role of the microbiome in the pathogenesis and treatment of asthma is significant. The purpose of this article is to show the interplay between asthma and the microbiome, and main areas that require further research are also highlighted. The literature search was conducted using the PubMed database. After a screening process of studies published before May 2023, a total of 128 articles were selected in our paper. The pre-treatment bronchial microbiome in asthmatic patients plays a role in their responsiveness to treatment. Gut microbiota and its dysbiosis can contribute to immune system modulation and the development of asthma. The association between the microbiome and asthma is complex. Further research is necessary to clarify which factors might moderate that relationship. An appropriate gut microbiome and its intestinal metabolites are a protective factor for asthma development. Prebiotics and certain dietary strategies may have a prophylactic or therapeutic effect, but more research is needed to establish final conclusions. Although the evidence regarding probiotics is ambiguous, and most meta-analyses do not support the use of probiotic intake to reduce asthma, several of the most recent studies have provided promising effects. Further studies should focus on the investigation of specific strains and the examination of their mechanistic and genetic aspects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Asthma Research in a Multiomics Era)
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