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Methylation profiles of IL33 and CCL26 in bronchial epithelial cells are associated with asthma
Miriam Larouche1, Valérie Gagné-Ouellet1, Anne-Marie Boucher-Lafleur1
1Département des sciences fondamentales, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Saguenay, QC G7H 2B1, Canada.
Aim:
This study aimed to characterize DNA methylation (DNA-me) in promoter region of IL33, IL1RL1 and CCL26 in asthma and their impacts on transcriptional activity in bronchial epithelial cells (BECs).
Patients & Methods:
We performed bis-pyrosequencing, quantitative real-time PCR and sequencing in BECs from ten asthmatic and ten control individuals.
Results:
We detected lower DNA-me levels of IL33 and CCL26 in asthmatic than control BECs. No correlation was found between methylation and expression levels. Interestingly, carriers of a mutative allele in a haplotype within the promoter of IL33 had a lower IL33 DNA-me level and CCL26 gene expression correlated with eosinophil count.
Conclusion:
These findings highlight the importance of investigating both epigenetic and genetic mechanisms in understanding the epithelial immune response in asthma.
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