Intrinsic biochemical and functional differences in bronchial epithelial cells of children with asthma.
BACKGROUND
Convincing evidence of epithelial damage and aberrant repair exists in adult asthmatic airways, even in the absence of inflammation. However, comparable studies in children have been limited by access and availability of clinical samples.


OBJECTIVE
To determine whether bronchial epithelial cells from children with asthma are inherently distinct from those obtained from children without asthma.


METHODS
Epithelial cells were obtained by nonbronchoscopic bronchial brushing of children with mild asthma (n = 7), atopic children without asthma (n = 9), and healthy children (n = 12). Cells were subject to morphologic, biochemical, molecular, and functional assessment. Responses were also compared with commercially available epithelial cultures and the transformed cell line 16HBE140.


RESULTS
All epithelial cells exhibited a "cobblestone" morphology, which was maintained throughout culture and repeated passage. Expression of cytokeratin 19 varied, with disease phenotype being greatest in healthy nonatopics and lowest in asthmatics. In contrast, expression of cytokeratin 5/14 was greatest in asthmatic samples and least in healthy nonatopic samples. Asthmatic epithelial cells also spontaneously produced significantly greater amounts of interleukin (IL)-6, prostaglandin E2, and epidermal growth factor, and equivalent amounts of IL-1beta and soluble intracellular adhesion molecule-1, but significantly lower amounts of transforming growth factor beta1. This profile was maintained through successive passages. Asthmatic epithelial cells also exhibited greater rates of proliferation than nonasthmatic cells.


CONCLUSIONS
This study has shown that epithelial cells from children with mild asthma are intrinsically different both biochemically and functionally compared with epithelial cells from children without asthma. Importantly, these differences are maintained over successive passages, suggesting that they are not dependent on an in vivo environment.
Kicic
Anthony
A
Department of Respiratory Medicine, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Perth, 6001, Western Australia, Australia. anthonyk@ichr.uwa.edu.au
Sutanto
Erika N
EN
Stevens
Paul T
PT
Knight
Darryl A
DA
Stick
Stephen M
SM
D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001980:Bronchi / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016207:Cytokines / Q000032:analysis; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor / Q000032:analysis; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000032:analysis; D010641:Phenotype
D016207:Cytokines; D015850:Interleukin-6; D004815:Epidermal Growth Factor