Project description:Genetic studies hold promise in helping to identify patients with early idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Recent studies using chest computed tomograms (CTs) in smokers and in the general population have demonstrated that imaging abnormalities suggestive of an early stage of pulmonary fibrosis are not uncommon and are associated with respiratory symptoms, physical examination abnormalities, and physiologic decrements expected, but less severe than those noted in patients with IPF. Similarly, recent genetic studies have demonstrated strong and replicable associations between a common promoter polymorphism in the mucin 5B gene (MUC5B) and both IPF and the presence of abnormal imaging findings in the general population. Despite these findings, it is important to note that the definition of early-stage IPF remains unclear, limited data exist to definitively connect abnormal imaging findings to IPF, and genetic studies assessing early-stage pulmonary fibrosis remain in their infancy. In this perspective we provide updated information on interstitial lung abnormalities and their connection to IPF. We summarize information on the genetics of pulmonary fibrosis by focusing on the recent genetic findings of MUC5B. Finally, we discuss the implications of these findings and suggest a roadmap for the use of genetics in the detection of early IPF.
Project description:Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a disease related to AT2 cell. We used flow cytometry to analyze the epithelial component of donor and IPF lungs. From the live cells, we first excluded the CD31PosCD45Pos and then selected the EPCAMPos cells for further analysis using the human AT2 cell marker HTll-280 and the surface marker PD-L1. Our data indicate that, the bona fide differentiated AT2 cells (HTll-280High PD-L1Neg), were drastically reduced in the context of IPF. More interestingly, the number of HTll-280Low/Neg PD-L1High was drastically increased, suggesting that HTll-280Low PD-L1High epithelial cells could represent a pool of progenitors linked to the deficient AT2 lineage. The aim of this experiment is further characterization of AT2 and PDL1+ cells in donor and IPF.
Project description:The aim of the current study is to find plasma-based biomarker candidates for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF). Incidence of IPF seems to be increasing in Europe and there is significant mortality associated with IPF. There are no sensistive biomarkers for IPF and diagnosis is entirely clinical and/or histopathological which is often delayed. Minimally invasive biomarkers of IPF would be expected to aid clinicians perfrom early diagnosis of IPF enabling better management of the disease.
Project description:Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic, progressive and highly lethal lung disease with unknown etiology and poor prognosis.
Project description:Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a fibrosing interstitial lung disease associated with aging that is characterized by the histopathological pattern of usual interstitial pneumonia. Although an understanding of the pathogenesis of IPF is incomplete, recent advances delineating specific clinical and pathologic features of IPF have led to better definition of the molecular pathways that are pathologically activated in the disease. In this review we highlight several of these advances, with a focus on genetic predisposition to IPF and how genetic changes, which occur primarily in epithelial cells, lead to activation of profibrotic pathways in epithelial cells. We then discuss the pathologic changes within IPF fibroblasts and the extracellular matrix, and we conclude with a summary of how these profibrotic pathways may be interrelated.
Project description:Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a disease of unknown etiology with considerable morbidity and mortality. Cigarette smoking is one of the most recognized risk factors for development of IPF. Furthermore, recent work suggests that smoking may have a detrimental effect on survival of patients with IPF. The mechanism by which smoking may contribute to the pathogenesis of IPF is largely unknown. However, accumulating evidence suggests that increased oxidative stress might promote disease progression in IPF patients who are current and former smokers. In this review, potential mechanisms by which cigarette smoking affects IPF, the effects of cigarette smoking on accelerated loss of lung function in patients with IPF, key genetic studies evaluating the potential candidate genes and gene-environment (smoking) interaction, diagnosis, and treatment with emphasis on recently closed and ongoing clinical trials are presented.
Project description:This review examines the recent literature on molecular biomarkers of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Specific attention is dedicated to the recent studies that identified the genes associated with IPF and the peripheral blood biomarkers that predict outcome in IPF.Multiple studies attempted to identify diagnostic and predictive biomarkers in IPF. Until recently, these studies were limited in size and lacked replication, but still when taken together provided convincing evidence that changes in blood proteins (KL-6, SP-A, MMP-7, CCL-18, among others) or cells (fibrocytes and T-cell subpopulations) are indicative of the disease presence and outcome. More recently, larger studies have identified gene polymorphisms associated with IPF, as well as protein markers and integrated clinical and molecular prediction rules that accurately predict outcome in patients with IPF.The peripheral blood contains disease presence and outcome relevant information, and suggests distinct biologically defined outcome trajectories in patients with IPF. Although recently identified biomarkers should still be validated in multiple clinical contexts, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that collection of peripheral blood biomarkers needs to be incorporated in the design of drug studies and that some of these markers be clinically evaluated in lung transplant prioritization.
Project description:Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a fatal disease that is a result of complex interactions between genetics and the environment, has limited treatment options. We have identified the MUC5B promoter polymorphism and other common genetic variants that in aggregate explain roughly one-third of disease risk. The MUC5B promoter polymorphism is the strongest and the most replicated genetic risk factor for IPF, appears to be protective and predictive in this disease, and is likely involved in disease pathogenesis through an increase in MUC5B expression in terminal bronchi and honeycombed cysts. Expression of MUC5B is also highly correlated with expression of cilium genes in IPF lung. Our work suggests that mucociliary dysfunction in the distal airway may play a role in the development of progressive fibroproliferative lung disease. In addition, our work has important implications for secondary prevention, early detection, and future early and personalized treatment based on genetic profiles.
Project description:Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a complex lung disease of unknown etiology. Development of IPF is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Recent work by our and other groups has identified strong genetic predisposition factors for the development of pulmonary fibrosis, and cigarette smoke remains the most strongly associated environmental exposure risk factor. Gene expression profiling studies of IPF lung have taught us quite a bit about the biology of this fatal disease, and those of peripheral blood have provided important biomarkers. However, epigenetic marks may be the missing link that connects the environmental exposure in genetically predisposed individuals to transcriptional changes associated with disease development. Moreover, epigenetic marks represent a promising therapeutic target for IPF. In this review, the disease is introduced, genetic and gene expression studies in IPF are summarized, exposures relevant to IPF and known epigenetic changes associated with cigarette smoke exposure are discussed, and epigenetic studies conducted so far in IPF are summarized. Limitations, challenges, and future opportunities in this field are also discussed.
Project description:Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic progressive lung disease that affects more than 5 million people worldwide with a steady increase in both incidence and mortality. There is currently no effective therapy and the median survival without transplant is 2-5 years. The etiological factor is unknown, but several observational and pathogenesis studies suggest that environmental agents may cause IPF. DNA methylation is a type of chemical modification of DNA such environmental and occupational factors, that can induced a changes in the regulation of biological processes and link to diseases such as a cancer. We hypothesize that the global changes in methylation patterns of IPF lungs caused by environmental factors. In this study we will identify the global methylation signatures of the IPF lung and to compare to methylation signature of lung cancer. The DNA methylation profiles of IPF lung tissue differs from control lung but it shares great similarity with that of lung cancer. Immunoprecipitated methylated DNA from 12 IPF lungs, 10 lung adenocarcinomas and 10 normal histology lungs obtained from the same group of adenocarcinoma patients was hybridized to Agilent human CpG Islands Microarrays. Only probes with a hybridization Tm value between 79 C and 93C were included in the analysis because these show higher quality signal. All probes were divided according to their Tm into 14 groups/bins differing by 1C. Probe signals in each bin were standardized to have an average of 0 and a standard deviation of 1. To work in a CpG island oriented manner, we scored each island for its likelihood to be methylated. For that purpose, each probe was mapped to the genome and the signals of the probes that were mapped to a single CpG island were averaged to obtain the islandM-bM-^@M-^Ys methylation score. Data analysis was performed using BRB-Array Tools and DAVID Bioinformatics Resources software packages.