title: Loss of caveolin-1 from bronchial epithelial cells and monocytes in human subjects with asthma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Caveolin-1 has emerged as a critical regulator of signaling pathways involved in lung fibrosis and inflammation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Therefore, we investigated whether caveolin-1 is deficient in asthmatic patients and in a murine model of asthma.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Immunohistochemical analyses of endobronchial biopsies showed a remarkable loss of caveolin-1 in the lungs of asthmatic patients compared with controls. This loss was most evident in bronchial epithelial cells and associated with an increase in the expression of extracellular matrix proteins: collagen I, tenascin, and periostin. Cultured primary bronchial epithelial cells of asthmatics had lower caveolin-1 expression compared with control cells. In addition, caveolin-1 expression was significantly decreased in peripheral blood monocytes from asthma patients. The loss of caveolin-1 was also observed in a mouse model for asthma (mice sensitized and challenged with aspergillus fumigatus).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration that the regulatory protein caveolin-1 is reduced in patients with asthma.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary, Allergy & Critical Care Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA.
authors.forename: S N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Bains
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tourkina
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Atkinson
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Joseph
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tholanikunnel
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Riemer
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hoffman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000378:metabolism*; D001980:Bronchi / Q000378:metabolism*; D051242:Caveolin 1 / Q000172:deficiency / Q000378:metabolism*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D009000:Monocytes / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D051242:Caveolin 1; D016326:Extracellular Matrix Proteins