Lucyna Mastalerz

and 7 more

Background: The cellular inflammatory pattern of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug–exacerbated respiratory disease (N-ERD) is heterogeneous. However, data on the heterogeneity of non-eosinophilic asthma (NEA) with aspirin hypersensitivity are scanty. By examination of N-ERD patients based on clinical data and eicosanoid biomarkers we aimed to identify NEA endotypes potentially guiding clinical management. Methods: Induced sputum was collected from 133 patients with N-ERD. Sixty six patients (49.6%) with NEA were included in the hierarchical cluster analysis based on clinical and laboratory data. The quality of clustering was evaluated using internal cluster validation with different indices and a practical decision tree was proposed to simplify stratification of patients. Results: The most frequent NEA pattern was paucigranulocytic (PGA; 75.8%), remaining was neutrophilic asthma (NA; 24.2%). Four clusters were identified. Cluster #3 included the highest number of NEA patients (37.9%) with severe asthma and PGA pattern (96.0%). Cluster #1 (24.2%) included severe only asthma, with a higher prevalence of NA (50%). Cluster #2 (25.8%) comprised well-controlled mild or severe asthma (PGA; 76.5%). Cluster #4 contained only 12.1% patients with well-controlled moderate asthma (PGA;62.5%). Sputum prostaglandin D 2 levels distinguished cluster #1 from the remaining clusters with an area under the curve of 0.94. Conclusions: Among identified four NEA subtypes, clusters #3 and #1 represented N-ERD patients with severe asthma but a different inflammatory signatures. All the clusters were discriminated by sputum PGD 2 levels, asthma severity, and age of patients. The heterogeneity of non-eosinophilic N-ERD suggests a need for novel targeted interventions.

Milena Sokolowska

and 16 more

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and other eicosanoid pathway modifiers are among the most ubiquitously used medications in the general population. Their broad anti-inflammatory, antipyretic and analgesic effects are applied against symptoms of respiratory infections, including SARS-CoV-2, as well as in other acute and chronic inflammatory diseases that often coexist with allergy and asthma. However, the current pandemic of COVID-19 also revealed the gaps in our understanding of their mechanism of action, selectivity and interactions not only during viral infections and inflammation, but also in asthma exacerbations, uncontrolled allergic inflammation, and NSAIDs-exacerbated respiratory disease (NERD). In this context, the consensus report summarises currently available knowledge, novel discoveries and controversies regarding the use of NSAIDs in COVID-19, and the role of NSAIDs in asthma and viral asthma exacerbations. We also describe here novel mechanisms of action of leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs), outline how to predict responses to LTRA therapy and discuss a potential role of LTRA therapy in COVID-19 treatment. Moreover, we discuss interactions of novel T2 biologicals and other eicosanoid pathway modifiers on the horizon, such as prostaglandin D2 antagonists and cannabinoids, with eicosanoid pathways, in context of viral infections and exacerbations of asthma and allergic diseases. Finally, we identify and summarise the major knowledge gaps and unmet needs in current eicosanoid research.

Paulina Wawrzyniak

and 12 more

To the Editor: Asthma is a complex and heterogeneous chronic airway inflammatory disease with the involvement of environmental factors through epigenetic mechanisms.1 Accordingly, repeated injury, repair and regeneration of the airway epithelium following exposure to environmental factors and inflammation results in histological changes and functional abnormalities in the airway mucosal epithelium, which are associated with the pathophysiology of asthma.2Epigenetics is defined by heritable changes in gene expression without changes in the DNA sequence.3 Regulation of gene expression is mediated by different mechanisms such as DNA methylation, histone modifications and RNA-associated silencing by small non-coding RNAs. CpG sites are dinucleotides consisting of guanine and cytosine concentrated in clusters referred to CpG islands found at important regulatory sites, such as promoter and enhancer regions.4 Their de novo methylation occurs in response to various cellular stressors and signals by DNA methyltransferases (DNMT3a and 3b), which add a methyl group to position 5 of cytosine residues at the CpG site. During DNA replication both of the separated strands of DNA carry one methylated cytosine to be used as a template for duplication. Daughter DNA duplex strands will thus be hemi-methylated, which is recognized by a different DNA methyltransferase isoform (DNMT1).5 Because DNA methylation is a reversible process, the DNMTs are considered as a therapeutic target. Several DNMT inhibitors have been identified recently, among the non-nucleoside inhibitors, 4-aminoquoline-based inhibitors, such as SGI-1027 showed potent inhibitory activity. SGI-1027 occupies the binding site of DNMTs resulting in the prevention of access of target DNA to the substrate binding pocket.6We have demonstrated in previous studies from our laboratory that human primary bronchial epithelial cells (HBEC) isolated from patients with asthma showed lower barrier integrity compared to controls.7 To investigate the level of global methylation in HBEC, we investigated control and asthma samples for the long interspersed nuclear element-1 (LINE-1) methylation levels (Figure 1A). HBEC from asthma patients showed a tendency for higher global methylation levels, together with higher expression of 5-methylcytosine (5-mc) in immunofluorescence staining (Figure 1B). Next, we performed methylation profiling (Illumina Infinium EPIC array) to investigate genes methylated in ALI cultures of HBEC. Interestingly, in a highly methylated group of top 100 genes, we found many genes associated with cell growth, ion transport, and cytoskeletal remodeling (Figure S1). We kept our attention on the methylated epigenetic and tight junction (TJ) genes and further focused on TJs, especially zonula occludens and claudins which showed higher methylation in contrast to occludin, which was not methylated (Figure S2). As higher methylation levels were observed in HBEC of asthmatic origin, we inhibited the DNA methyltransferase enzyme with a specific inhibitor, SGI-1027, to demonstrate the role of CpG methylation on epithelial barrier integrity. ALI cultures were treated with the DNA methyltransferase inhibitor for 72 hours. Significantly decreased expression of 5-mc was observed after 48 hours of DNA-methyltransferase inhibition, demonstrating that the methylation of 5-methylcytosine (5-mc) in bronchial epithelium was reversed (Figure 2A). This prompted us to investigate the changes triggered by the inhibitor in epithelial cells. Further experiments showed increased transepithelial electric resistance (TER) in bronchial epithelial cells, in ALI from asthmatic donors after 48 hours of DNMT inhibition (Figure 2B). The link between barrier integrity and TER results were confirmed by the significantly decreased paracellular passage of FITC-labelled 4kD dextran after inhibition of DNMTs (Figure 2C). The reconstitution of TER in asthmatic ALI was associated with decreased protein DNMT1 expression and increased ZO-1 and claudin-18 proteins (Figure 2D). We also observed increased claudin-4, but not occludin expression upon DNMT inhibition (Figure S3). Increased expression of ZO-1 with an intact and honeycomb-like structure in the immunofluorescence staining of bronchial epithelial cells confirmed the effect on protein expression of bronchial epithelial barrier in asthma donors (Figure S4).Defective epithelial barrier has been established in asthma in addition to several chronic inflammatory diseases.8 Direct targeting of the epithelial barrier leakiness for the treatments represents an important target, however so far there is no treatment possibility targeting epigenetic mechanisms. The present study demonstrates an increased global methylation level in HBEC from asthmatic individuals. CpG methylation of specific genes is essential for the defect of epithelial barrier integrity, which is reversed upon DNMT inhibition. The inversion of CpG methylation, restores leakiness in the epithelium in asthma by increasing TER, decreasing paracellular flux and improves the structure of bronchial epithelial cells by increasing the expression of TJ proteins. The better understanding of the importance of epigenetic memory in chronic tissue inflammatory diseases together with the availability of treatment modalities targeting epigenetic mechanisms and transition of these molecules into the clinical studies may lead to curative treatment of allergic and autoimmune inflammatory diseases.9Paulina Wawrzyniak1, PhD,Krzysztof Krawczyk1,3, MSc,Swati Acharya5, PhD,Ge Tan1,7, PhD,Marcin Wawrzyniak1, PhD,Emmanuel Karouzakis4, PhD,Anita Dreher, Sci. Tech.,Bogdan Jakiela2, MD, PhD,Can Altunbulakli1, PhD,Marek Sanak2, MD, PhD,Liam O‘Mahony1,6, PD, PhD,Kari Nadeau5, MD, PhD,Cezmi A. Akdis1, MD1Swiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF), University of Zürich, Davos, Switzerland, Christine Kühne-Center for Allergy Research and Education (CK-CARE)2Department of Medicine, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland3Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection, Department of Cellular Immunology, Lodz, Poland4Department of Rheumatology, University Hospital of Zurich5Departament of Medicine, Stanford University, United States6 Department of Medicine and School of Microbiology, APC Microbiome Ireland, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.7 Functional Genomics Center Zurich, ETH Zurich/University of ZurichCorresponding author:Paulina WawrzyniakSwiss Institute of Allergy and Asthma Research (SIAF), University of Zürich, Davos, SwitzerlandObere Strasse 22,7270 Davos, SwitzerlandTel: +41 81 410 08 48Fax: +41 81 410 08 40paulina.wawrzyniak@uzh.chConflict of interest:The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.Founding sources:Supported by Swiss National Science Foundation grants 310030_156823, and 320030_176190.Word count: 765Keywords: asthma, tight junction, CpG methylation, DNA methyltransferases,

CARMEN RIGGIONI

and 41 more

In December 2019, China reported the first cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This disease, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has developed into a pandemic. To date it has resulted in ~5.6 million confirmed cases and caused 353,334 related deaths worldwide. Unequivocally, the COVID-19 pandemic is the gravest health and socio-economic crisis of our time. In this context, numerous questions have emerged in demand of basic scientific information and evidence-based medical advice on SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19. Although the majority of the patients show a very mild, self-limiting viral respiratory disease, many clinical manifestations in severe patients are unique to COVID-19, such as severe lymphopenia and eosinopenia, extensive pneumonia, a “cytokine storm” leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome, endothelitis, thrombo-embolic complications and multiorgan failure. The epidemiologic features of COVID-19 are distinctive and have changed throughout the pandemic. Vaccine and drug development studies and clinical trials are rapidly growing at an unprecedented speed. However, basic and clinical research on COVID-19-related topics should be based on more coordinated high-quality studies. This paper answers pressing questions, formulated by young clinicians and scientists, on SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 and allergy, focusing on the following topics: virology, immunology, diagnosis, management of patients with allergic disease and asthma, treatment, clinical trials, drug discovery, vaccine development and epidemiology. Over 140 questions were answered by experts in the field providing a comprehensive and practical overview of COVID-19 and allergic disease.