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.
Keywords: DNA methylation; bronchial epithelial cell; eosinophil; gene expression.