Nasal Epithelial Cells: A Tool to Study Dna Methylation in Airway Diseases

Abstract

A number of chronic airway diseases are characterized by high inflammation and unbalanced activation of the immune response, which lead to tissue damage and progressive reduction of the pulmonary function. Because they are exposed to various environmental stimuli, lung cells are prone to epigenomic changes. Many genes responsible for the immune response and inflammation are tightly regulated by DNA methylation, which suggests that alteration of the epigenome in lung cells may have a considerable impact on the penetrance and/or the severity of airway diseases. A major hurdle in clinical epigenomic studies is to gather appropriate biospecimens. Herein, we show that nasal epithelial cells are suitable to analyze DNA methylation in human diseases primarily affecting the lower airway tract.

Keywords::

• asthma
• bronchoalveolar lavage
• chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• cigarette smoking
• cystic fibrosis
• DNA methylation
• nasal epithelial cells
• sputum

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the reviewers for their comments and Servier Medical Art (http://smart.servier.fr/servier-medical-art) for use of image ‘Cavité Nasale,’ which was the basis for Figure 2.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors thank Vaincre la Mucoviscidose (VLM, France), Ciência Sem Fronteiras Program (Brazil) and Montpellier Hospital for financial support. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript. Writing assistance was provided by G Burkhart (http://www.garyburkhart.fr/).

Additional information

Funding

The authors thank Vaincre la Mucoviscidose (VLM, France), Ciência Sem Fronteiras Program (Brazil) and Montpellier Hospital for financial support. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. Writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript. Writing assistance was provided by G Burkhart (http://www.garyburkhart.fr/).