Short and dysfunctional telomeres protect from allergen-induced airway inflammation.
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting 300 million people worldwide. As telomere shortening is a well-established hallmark of aging and that asthma incidence decreases with age, here we aimed to study the role of short telomeres in asthma pathobiology. To this end, wild-type and telomera...
| Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | article |
| Publication Date: | 2021 |
| Country: | España |
| Institution: | Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) |
| Repository: | Repisalud |
| Language: | English |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:repisalud.isciii.es:20.500.12105/18204 |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12105/18204 |
| Access Level: | Open access |
| Keyword: | Telomere Shortening Allergens Animals Asthma Cell Differentiation Deoxyguanosine Goblet Cells Hyperplasia Lung Mice Pyroglyphidae Telomerase Telomere Thionucleosides |
| Summary: | Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease affecting 300 million people worldwide. As telomere shortening is a well-established hallmark of aging and that asthma incidence decreases with age, here we aimed to study the role of short telomeres in asthma pathobiology. To this end, wild-type and telomerase-deficient mice with short telomeres (third-generation (G3 Tert-/- mice)) were challenged with intranasal house dust mite (HDM) extract. We also challenged with HDM wild-type mice in which we induced a telomere dysfunction by the administration of 6-thio-2´-deoxyguanosine (6-thio-dG). Following HDM exposure, G3 Tert-/- and 6-thio-dG treated mice exhibited attenuated eosinophil counts and presence of hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow, as well as lower levels of IgE and circulating eosinophils. Accordingly, both G3 Tert-/- and 6-thio-dG treated wild-type mice displayed reduced airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), as indicated by decreased airway remodeling and allergic airway inflammation markers in the lung. Furthermore, G3 Tert-/- and 6-thio-dG treated mice showed lower differentiation of Club cells, attenuating goblet cell hyperplasia. Club cells of G3 Tert-/- and 6-thio-dG treated mice displayed increased DNA damage and senescence and reduced proliferation. Thus, short/dysfunctional telomeres play a protective role in murine asthma by impeding both AHR and mucus secretion after HDM exposure. Therefore, our findings imply that telomeres play a relevant role in allergen-induced airway inflammation. |
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