Functional Genomics of the Pediatric Obese Asthma Phenotype Reveal Enrichment of Rho-GTPase Pathways.

Obesity-related asthma disproportionately affects minority children and is associated with nonatopic T-helper type 1 (Th1) cell polarized inflammation that correlates with pulmonary function deficits. Its underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. To use functional genomics to identify cellular mechanisms associated with nonatopic inflammation in obese minority children with asthma.

CDC42-related genes are upregulated in helper T cells from obese asthmatic children.

Background: Pediatric obesity-related asthma is more severe and less responsive to medications than asthma in normal-weight children. Obese asthmatic children have nonatopic T1-polarized systemic inflammation that correlates with pulmonary function deficits, but the pathways underlying T1-polarized inflammation are not well understood.

Objective: We compared the CD4 T-cell transcriptome in obese children with asthma with that in normal-weight children with asthma to identify key differentially expressed genes associated with T1-polarized inflammation.