Protein interaction networks provide insight into fetal origins of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of death in adults that may have origins in early lung development. It is a complex disease, influenced by multiple factors including genetic variants and environmental factors. Maternal smoking during pregnancy may influence the risk for diseases during adulthood, potentially through epigenetic modifications including methylation.

In this work, we explore the fetal origins of COPD by utilizing lung DNA methylation marks associated with in utero smoke (IUS) exposure, and evaluate the network relationships between methylomic and transcriptomic signatures associated with adult lung tissue from former smokers with and without COPD. To identify potential pathobiological mechanisms that may link fetal lung, smoke exposure and adult lung disease, we study the interactions (physical and functional) of identified genes using protein-protein interaction networks.

We build IUS-exposure and COPD modules, which identify connected subnetworks linking fetal lung smoke exposure to adult COPD. Studying the relationships and connectivity among the different modules for fetal smoke exposure and adult COPD, we identify enriched pathways, including the AGE-RAGE and focal adhesion pathways.

The modules identified in our analysis add new and potentially important insights to understanding the early life molecular perturbations related to the pathogenesis of COPD. We identify AGE-RAGE and focal adhesion as two biologically plausible pathways that may reveal lung developmental contributions to COPD. We were not only able to identify meaningful modules but were also able to study interconnections between smoke exposure and lung disease, augmenting our knowledge about the fetal origins of COPD.