Rationale: Bronchiectasis is a pathological dilatation of the bronchi in the respiratory airways associated with environmental or genetic causes (e.g., cystic fibrosis, primary ciliary dyskinesia and primary immunodeficiency disorders), but most cases remain idiopathic.
Objectives: To identify novel genetic defects in unsolved cases of bronchiectasis presenting with severe rhinosinusitis, nasal polyposis, and pulmonary Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection.
Methods: DNA was analyzed by next-generation or targeted Sanger sequencing. RNA was analyzed by quantitative PCR and single-cell RNA sequencing. Patient-derived, cells, cell cultures and secretions (mucus, saliva, seminal fluid) were analyzed by Western blotting and immunofluorescence microscopy, and mucociliary activity was measured. Blood serum was analyzed by electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Protein structure and proteomic analyses were used to assess the impact of a disease-causing founder variant.
Measurements and main results: We identified bi-allelic pathogenic variants in WFDC2 in 11 individuals from 10 unrelated families originating from the United States, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Expression of WFDC2 was detected predominantly in secretory cells of control airway epithelium and also in submucosal glands. We demonstrate that WFDC2 is below the limit of detection in blood serum and hardly detectable in samples of saliva, seminal fluid, and airway surface liquid from WFDC2-deficient individuals. Computer simulations and deglycosylation assays indicate that the disease-causing founder variant p.Cys49Arg structurally hampers glycosylation and thus secretion of mature WFDC2.
Conclusions: WFDC2 dysfunction defines a novel molecular etiology of bronchiectasis characterized by the deficiency of a secreted component of the airways. A commercially available blood test combined with genetic testing allows its diagnosis. This article is open access and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Keywords: Pseudomonas, infertility, chronic lung disease.