title: ADAM metallopeptidase domain 33 (ADAM33): a promising target for asthma.
abstract: Over the last few years, a significant progress has been made in understanding the role of a disintegrin and metalloproteinase 33 (ADAM33) in asthma. The previous observations for the association with asthma have been replicated in over 33 different population samples worldwide. We and others have performed association analysis and meta-analysis and provided further evidence that several polymorphisms in the ADAM33 are risk factors for asthma, especially in the Asian population. Further, several studies have suggested that alterations in epigenetic marks alter the patterns of DNA methylation of ADAM33 and result in potentially adverse biological effects. Finally, while the biological activities of ADAM33 are as yet unknown, ADAM33 may play a possible role in airway remodeling because of its high expression in epithelium, myo/fibroblasts, and airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) and its role in promoting angiogenesis and stimulating cell proliferation and differentiation. Thus, ADAM33 represents a promising target for asthma. However, further investigations are clearly needed to discover functional ADAM33 gene polymorphisms and the role of genetic/epigenetic factors in conferring genetic susceptibility to environmental exposure induced asthma as well as biological function in asthma. This, in turn, will unlock the possibility of ADAM33 as a target for asthma therapy.
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins Asthma and Allergy Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 5501 Hopkins Bayview Circle, Room 3B.71, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.
authors.forename: Priya
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tripathi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, King George's Medical University, Lucknow, India.
authors.forename: Shally
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Awasthi
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins Asthma and Allergy Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 5501 Hopkins Bayview Circle, Room 3B.71, Baltimore, MD 21224, USA.
authors.forename: Peisong
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D051722:ADAM Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D056151:Airway Remodeling / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D032389:Myocytes, Smooth Muscle / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D051722:ADAM Proteins; C450441:ADAM33 protein, human