Mitogen‐activated protein kinase signaling in childhood asthma development and environment‐mediated protection

• DOI: 10.1111/pai.13657
• Publication Date: 2021-08-29T10:44:17Z
• Authors: Johanna Theodorou; Elisabeth Nowak; Andreas Böck; Michael Salvermoser; Claudia Beerweiler; Kathrin Zeber; Paulina Kulig; Miranda S. Tsang; Chun‐Kwok Wong; Gary W. K. Wong; Marjut Roponen; Jörg Kumbrink; Fahd Alhamdan; Florian Michel; Holger Garn; Vinko Tosevski; Bianca Schaub
• Keywords: Cohort Studies; 0301 basic medicine; 03 medical and health sciences; Cross-Sectional Studies; Leukocytes, Mononuclear; Humans; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; Child; Asthma; 3. Good health

AbstractBackgroundWhile childhood asthma prevalence is rising in Westernized countries, farm children are protected. The mitogen‐activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway with its negative regulator dual‐specificity phosphatase‐1 (DUSP1) is presumably associated with asthma development.ObjectivesWe aimed to investigate the role of MAPK signaling in childhood asthma and its environment‐mediated protection, including a representative selection of 232 out of 1062 children from two cross‐sectional cohorts and one birth cohort study.MethodsPeripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from asthmatic and healthy children were cultured upon stimulation with farm‐dust extracts or lipopolysaccharide. In subgroups, gene expression was analyzed by qPCR (PBMCs, cord blood) and NanoString technology (dendritic cells). Protein expression of phosphorylated MAPKs was measured by mass cytometry. Histone acetylation was investigated by chromatin immunoprecipitation.ResultsAsthmatic children expressed significantly less DUSP1 (p = .006) with reduced acetylation at histone H4 (p = .012) compared with healthy controls. Farm‐dust stimulation upregulated DUSP1 expression reaching healthy levels and downregulated inflammatory MAPKs on gene and protein levels (PBMCs; p ≤ .01). Single‐cell protein analysis revealed downregulated pMAPKs upon farm‐dust stimulation in B cells, NK cells, monocytes, and T‐cell subpopulations.ConclusionLower DUSP1 baseline levels in asthmatic children and anti‐inflammatory regulation of MAPK in several immune cell types by farm‐dust stimulation indicate a regulatory function for DUSP1 for future therapy contributing to anti‐inflammatory characteristics of farming environments.