Genetic Association and Gene Expression Analysis of Inflammatory
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Genetic association and gene expression analysis of inflammatory genes in cystic fibrosis by Aabida Saferali A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE FACULTY OF GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL STUDIES (Experimental Medicine) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Vancouver) September 2016 © Aabida Saferali, 2016 ABSTRACT Cystic fibrosis (CF) is characterized by a progressive decline in lung function due to airway obstruction, infection, and inflammation. CF patients are particularly susceptible to respiratory infection by a variety of pathogens, and the inflammatory response in CF is dysregulated and prolonged. This thesis identifies and characterizes BPI fold containing family A, member 1 (BPIFA1) and BPIFB1 as putative anti-inflammatory molecules in CF, and explores the CF inflammatory response to rhinovirus infection. BPIFA1 and BPIFB1 are proposed innate immune molecules expressed in the upper airways. We interrogated BPIFA1/BPIFB1 single-nucleotide polymorphisms in data from the North American genome-wide association study (GWAS) for lung disease severity in CF and discovered that the G allele of rs1078761 was associated with reduced lung function in CF patients. Microarray and qPCR gene expression analysis implicated rs1078761 G as being associated with reduced BPIFA1 and BPIFB1 gene expression, suggesting that decreased levels of these genes are detrimental in CF. Functional assays to characterize the role of BPIFA1 and BPIFB1 in CF indicated that these molecules do not have an anti-bacterial role against P. aeruginosa, but do have an immunomodulatory function in CF airway epithelial cells. To further investigate the mechanism of action of BPIFA1 and BPIFB1 during bacterial infection, gene expression was profiled using RNA-Seq in airway epithelial cells stimulated with P. aeruginosa and treated with recombinant BPIFA1 and BPIFB1. Viral infections are now recognized to play an important role in the short and long term health of CF patients. Rhinovirus is emerging as a lead viral pathogen although little is known about the inflammatory response triggered by rhinovirus in the CF lung. To investigate whether ii CF patients have a dysregulated response to rhinovirus infection, primary airway epithelial cells from CF and healthy control children were infected with rhinovirus and gene expression profiles were assessed by RNA-Seq. Although rhinovirus stimulation resulted significantly altered gene expression, the response to infection was not different in CF patients compared to healthy controls. However, CF cells had significantly higher rhinovirus levels than controls, indicating that CF patients may have a deficient antiviral response allowing for increased rhinovirus replication. iii PREFACE All work was conducted at the Centre for Heart Lung Innovation and the Child and Family Research Institute/BC Children’s Research Institute. Ethics approval was obtained for collection of saliva samples from CF patients and healthy controls from UBC Providence Health Care Research Institute Ethics Board (certificates H12-03293 and H15-02759). Healthy control samples were obtained through recruitment of volunteers by A. Saferali at the Centre for Heart Lung Innovation with informed written consent. CF patient samples were collected with informed written consent from the Pacific Lung Health Centre CF Clinic directed by Dr. B. Quon. A. Saferali was the lead investigator for all the work presented in this thesis. All aspects of study design, analysis, and execution were carried out by A. Saferali together with Drs. A.J. Sandford, and S.E. Turvey. Primary airway epithelial cells from CF patients described in Chapter 4 were obtained from Drs. A. Kicic and S. Stick in Perth Australia. RNA-Seq data shown in Chapter 4 were generated in the lab of Dr. R.E. Hancock. F. Shaheen helped with the immunohistochemistry shown in section 3.4.1. Dr. A. Tang performed the experiments described in section 3.4.5 and wrote the material and methods for that section. In addition, Dr. Tang contributed to 10% of the western blots shown in section 3.4.2. The study presented in Chapter 2 of this work was published in the American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology in November 2015. The data are reprinted with permission of the American Thoracic Society1. 1 Copyright © 2016 American Thoracic Society. The American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology is an official journal of the American Thoracic Society. iv Saferali, A., et al., Polymorphisms associated with expression of BPIFA1/BPIFB1 and lung disease severity in cystic fibrosis. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol, 2015. 53(5): p. 607- 14. Certain aspects of Chapter 1 were included in a review to be published in Wiley eLS. Saferali, A., et al., (September 2016) Cystic Fibrosis: Modifier Genes. In: eLS. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd: Chichester. DOI: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0020233. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................... ii PREFACE ..................................................................................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ............................................................................................................ vi LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES ...................................................................................................................... x LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS .................................................................................................... xii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................................... xvi CHAPTER 1: A BACKGROUND ON CYSTIC FIBROSIS MODIFIER GENES AND HOST RESPONSE ....................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Molecular basis of cystic fibrosis ..................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Genome-wide association studies in CF .......................................................................................... 4 1.2.1 Consortium approach to genome-wide association studies ......................................................... 5 1.2.2 Genome-wide studies of lung function in cystic fibrosis ............................................................ 6 1.2.3 Genetic association studies of other CF related phenotypes ..................................................... 11 1.2.3.1 Body mass index and nutritional status ............................................................................................. 11 1.2.3.2 CF-related diabetes ............................................................................................................................ 11 1.2.3.3 Meconium ileus ................................................................................................................................. 13 1.2.4 CF modifier genes, inflammation and immunity in CF ............................................................ 16 1.3 Infection in cystic fibrosis .............................................................................................................. 17 1.3.1 Bacterial infection ..................................................................................................................... 17 1.3.2 Viral infection in cystic fibrosis ................................................................................................ 18 1.3.3 Rhinovirus in CF ....................................................................................................................... 19 1.3.4 Fungal pathogens....................................................................................................................... 22 1.4 Inflammation in CF ........................................................................................................................ 23 1.4.1 Dysregulated immune response in CF ....................................................................................... 23 1.4.2 Abnormal airway surface liquid and mucociliary clearance ..................................................... 23 1.4.3 Secondary inflammatory defects in CF airways ........................................................................ 25 1.4.4 Anti-inflammatory therapies ..................................................................................................... 26 1.5 BPIFA1 and BPIFB1: Innate immune molecules in CF ............................................................. 27 1.5.1 The BPI fold containing family of proteins ............................................................................... 27 1.5.2 Antimicrobial properties of BPIFA1 ......................................................................................... 28 1.5.3 Immunomodulatory function of BPIFA1 .................................................................................. 30 1.5.4 BPIFA1 in ion transport and ASL regulation ............................................................................ 30 1.5.5 Function of BPIFB1 .................................................................................................................. 31 1.6 Summary of thesis objectives ........................................................................................................