Current Insights on the Impact of Proteomics in Respiratory Allergies

Nasal Lavage Fluid Proteomics Reveals Potential Biomarkers of Asthma Associated with Disease Control

Purpose

Little research has explored the proteomic characteristics of nasal lavage fluid from asthmatic patients. This study aims to investigate whether differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in nasal lavage fluid can serve as a biomarker to differentiate asthma patients from healthy controls (HCs) and to discern between individuals with well controlled and poorly controlled asthma.

Patients and Methods

We enrolled patients with allergic rhinitis (AR), asthma, or both conditions, and HCs in this study. We recorded patients' demographic and medical history data and administered asthma quality of life questionnaire (AQLQ) and asthma control questionnaire (ACQ). Nasal fluid samples were collected, followed by protein measurements, and proteomic analysis utilizing the data-independent acquisition (DIA) method.

Results

Twenty-four with asthma, 27 with combined asthma+ AR, 25 with AR, and 12 HCs were enrolled. Four proteins, superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2), serpin B7 (SERPINB7), kallikrein-13 (KLK13), and bleomycin hydrolase (BLMH) were significantly upregulated in nasal lavage fluid samples of asthma without AR, compared to HCs (Fold change ≥2.0, false-discovery rate [FDR] <0.05). Conversely, 56 proteins including secretoglobin family 2A member 1 (SCGB2A1) were significantly downregulated (fold change ≥2.0, FDR <0.05). Furthermore, 96.49% of DEPs including peptidase inhibitor 3 (PI3) and C-X-C motif chemokine 17 (CXCL17) were upregulated in poorly controlled asthma patients without AR relative those with well- or partly controlled asthma (fold change ≥1.5, FDR <0.05). Search tool for the retrieval of interacting genes/proteins (STRING) analysis showed that PI3, with 18 connections, may be pivotal in asthma control.

Conclusion

The study revealed significant alteration in the nasal lavage proteome in asthma without AR patients. Moreover, our results indicated a potential association between the expression of proteome in the upper airway and the level of asthma control. Specifically, PI3 appears to be a key role in the regulation of asthma without AR.

Serotonin-2 Receptor Agonists Produce Anti-inflammatory Effects through Functionally Selective Mechanisms That Involve the Suppression of Disease-Induced Arginase 1 Expression

Functional selectivity in the context of serotonin 2A (5-HT2A) receptor agonists is often described as differences psychedelic compounds have in the activation of Gq vs β-arrestin signaling in the brain and how that may relate to inducing psychoactive and hallucinatory properties with respect to each other. However, the presence of 5-HT2A receptors throughout the body in several cell types, including endothelial, endocrine, and immune-related tissues, suggests that functional selectivity may exist in the periphery as well. Here, we examine functional selectivity between two 5-HT2A receptor agonists of the phenylalkylamine class: (R)-2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine [(R)-DOI] and (R)-2,5-dimethoxy-4-trifluoromethylamphetamine [(R)-DOTFM]. Despite comparable in vitro activity at the 5-HT2A receptor as well as similar behavioral potency, (R)-DOTFM does not exhibit an ability to prevent inflammation or elevated airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) in an acute murine ovalbumin-induced asthma model as does (R)-DOI. Furthermore, there are distinct differences between protein expression and inflammatory-related gene expression in pulmonary tissues between the two compounds. Using (R)-DOI and (R)-DOTFM as tools, we further elucidated the anti-inflammatory mechanisms underlying the powerful anti-inflammatory effects of certain psychedelics and identified key mechanistic components of the anti-inflammatory effects of psychedelics, including suppression of arginase 1 expression.

Perspectives of Proteomics in Respiratory Allergic Diseases

Proteomics in respiratory allergic diseases has such a battery of techniques and programs that one would almost think there is nothing impossible to find, invent or mold. All the resources that we document here are involved in solving problems in allergic diseases, both diagnostic and prognostic treatment, and immunotherapy development. The main perspectives, according to this version, are in three strands and/or a lockout immunological system: (1) Blocking the diapedesis of the cells involved, (2) Modifications and blocking of paratopes and epitopes being understood by modifications to antibodies, antagonisms, or blocking them, and (3) Blocking FcεRI high-affinity receptors to prevent specific IgEs from sticking to mast cells and basophils. These tools and targets in the allergic landscape are, in our view, the prospects in the field. However, there are still many allergens to identify, including some homologies between allergens and cross-reactions, through the identification of structures and epitopes. The current vision of using proteomics for this purpose remains a constant; this is also true for the basis of diagnostic and controlled systems for immunotherapy. Ours is an open proposal to use this vision for treatment.

Neuronal-Immune Cell Units in Allergic Inflammation in the Nose

Immune cells and immune-derived molecules, endocrine glands and hormones, the nervous system and neuro molecules form the combined tridirectional neuroimmune network, which plays a significant role in the communication pathways and regulation at the level of the whole organism and local levels, in both healthy persons and patients with allergic rhinitis based on an allergic inflammatory process. This review focuses on a new research paradigm devoted to neuronal-immune cell units, which are involved in allergic inflammation in the nose and neuroimmune control of the nasal mucociliary immunologically active epithelial barrier. The categorization, cellular sources of neurotransmitters and neuropeptides, and their prevalent profiles in constituting allergen tolerance maintenance or its breakdown are discussed. Novel data on the functional structure of the nasal epithelium based on a transcriptomic technology, single-cell RNA-sequencing results, are considered in terms of neuroimmune regulation. Notably, the research of pathogenesis and therapy for atopic allergic diseases, including recently identified local forms, from the viewpoint of the tridirectional interaction of the neuroimmune network and discrete neuronal-immune cell units is at the cutting-edge.