Analysis of CFTR mRNA and Protein in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells via Quantitative Real-Time PCR and Western Blot.

The gene encodes for the CFTR ion channel, which is responsible for the transport of chloride and bicarbonate across the plasma membrane. Mutations in the gene result in impaired ion transport, subsequently leading to perturbed secretion in all exocrine glands and, therefore, the multi-organ disease cystic fibrosis (CF). In recent years, several studies have reported on CFTR expression in immune cells as demonstrated by immunofluorescence, flow cytometry, and immunoblotting.

The Cystic Fibrosis Upper and Lower Airway Metagenome.

The microbial metagenome in cystic fibrosis (CF) airways was investigated by whole-genome shotgun sequencing of total DNA isolated from nasal lavage samples, oropharyngeal swabs, and induced sputum samples collected from 65 individuals with CF aged 7 to 50 years. Each patient harbored a personalized microbial metagenome unique in microbial load and composition, the exception being monocultures of the most common CF pathogens Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa from patients with advanced lung disease. The sampling of the upper airways by nasal lavage uncovered the fungus Malassezia restricta and the bacterium Staphylococcus epidermidis as prominent species.

Changes in cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator protein expression prior to and during elexacaftor-tezacaftor-ivacaftor therapy.

Defects in expression, maturation or function of the epithelial membrane glycoprotein CFTR are causative for the progressive disease cystic fibrosis. Recently, molecular therapeutics that improve CFTR maturation and functional defects have been approved. We aimed to verify whether we could detect an improvement of CFTR protein expression and maturation by triple therapy with elexacaftor-tezacaftor-ivacaftor (ELX/TEZ/IVA).

Analysis of CF patient survival confirms STAT3 as a CF-modifying gene with changing impact over time.

Introduction And Aim: The signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) has been identified as one of the cystic fibrosis (CF) modifying genes. In this study, we aimed to assess the association between STAT3 genotype and CF patient survival over several decades and to investigate the effect of STAT3 inhibition on epithelial CFTR expression.

Methods: We analyzed the informative genetic marker STAT3Sat for its association with survival in 174 p.

Consistent Assignment of Risk and Benign Allele at rs2303153 in the CF Modifier Gene in Three Independent F508del- Homozygous Patient Populations.

encodes for a chloride and bicarbonate channel expressed at the apical membrane of polarized epithelial cells. Transepithelial sodium transport mediated by the amiloride-sensitive sodium channel ENaC is thought to contribute to the manifestation of CF disease. Thus, ENaC is a therapeutic target in CF and a valid cystic fibrosis modifier gene.

Genetic information from discordant sibling pairs points to ESRP2 as a candidate trans-acting regulator of the CF modifier gene SCNN1B.

SCNN1B encodes the beta subunit of the epithelial sodium channel ENaC. Previously, we reported an association between SNP markers of SCNN1B gene and disease severity in cystic fibrosis-affected sibling pairs. We hypothesized that factors interacting with the SCNN1B genomic sequence are responsible for intrapair discordance.

Rescue from Pseudomonas aeruginosa Airway Infection via Stem Cell Transplantation.

Cystic fibrosis is caused by mutations in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene, which lead to impaired ion transport in epithelial cells. Although lung failure due to chronic infection is the major comorbidity in individuals with cystic fibrosis, the role of CFTR in non-epithelial cells has not been definitively resolved. Given the important role of host defense cells, we evaluated the Cftr deficiency in pulmonary immune cells by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in cystic fibrosis mice.

Immunotyping of clinically divergent p.Phe508del homozygous monozygous cystic fibrosis twins.

Blood of the three clinically most concordant and most discordant p.Phe508del homozygous monozygous twin pairs of the European Cystic Fibrosis Twin and Sibling Study was examined in two postzygotic attributes that generate diversity between monozygous twins, i.e.

Intraclonal competitive fitness of longitudinal cystic fibrosis Pseudomonas aeruginosa airway isolates in liquid cultures.

The metabolically versatile Pseudomonas aeruginosa inhabits biotic and abiotic environments including the niche of cystic fibrosis (CF) airways. This study investigated how the adaptation to CF lungs affects the within-clone fitness of P. aeruginosa to grow and persist in liquid cultures in the presence of the clonal ancestors.

Self-assembled peptide-poloxamine nanoparticles enable in vitro and in vivo genome restoration for cystic fibrosis.

Developing safe and efficient non-viral delivery systems remains a major challenge for in vivo applications of gene therapy, especially in cystic fibrosis. Unlike conventional cationic polymers or lipids, the emerging poloxamine-based copolymers display promising in vivo gene delivery capabilities. However, poloxamines are invalid for in vitro applications and their in vivo transfection efficiency is still low compared with viral vectors.

Impact of sample processing on human airways microbial metagenomes.

Whole metagenome shotgun sequencing provides information about the gene content and the composition of microbial communities provided that the processing of the samples does not introduce a methodology-driven bias. We tested the impact of DNA isolation and storage period on the metagenome profile. Deep throat swabs were collected from healthy adults and an infected infant.

Mechanism of allele specific assembly and disruption of master regulator transcription factor complexes of NF-KBp50, NF-KBp65 and HIF1a on a non-coding FAS SNP.

A challenging question in genetics is to understand the molecular function of non-coding variants of the genome. By using differential EMSA, ChIP and functional genome analysis, we have found that changes in transcription factors (TF) apparent binding affinity and dissociation rates are responsible for allele specific assembly or disruption of master TFs: we observed that NF-KBp50, NF-KBp65 and HIF1a bind with an affinity of up to 10 fold better to the C-allele than to the T-allele of rs7901656 both in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, we showed that NF-KBp50, p65 and HIF1a form higher order heteromultimeric complexes overlapping rs7901656, implying synergism of action among TFs governing cellular response to infection and hypoxia.

The cystic fibrosis lower airways microbial metagenome.

Chronic airway infections determine most morbidity in people with cystic fibrosis (CF). Herein, we present unbiased quantitative data about the frequency and abundance of DNA viruses, archaea, bacteria, moulds and fungi in CF lower airways. Induced sputa were collected on several occasions from children, adolescents and adults with CF.

The CF-modifying gene EHF promotes p.Phe508del-CFTR residual function by altering protein glycosylation and trafficking in epithelial cells.

The three-base-pair deletion c.1521_1523delCTT (p.Phe508del, F508del) in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is the most frequent disease-causing lesion in cystic fibrosis (CF).

CLCA4 variants determine the manifestation of the cystic fibrosis basic defect in the intestine.

The manifestation of the monogenic disease cystic fibrosis results from the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR)-mediated basic defect defined as an altered chloride transport. An association study using contrasting endophenotypes was conducted with 17 markers to allow fine-mapping of a previously reported association signal within the CLCA gene cluster. Markers were analyzed for association with the manifestation of the basic defect in the patient population of the European CF Twin and Sibling Study composed of 101 families with a total of 171 patients.

Effective prevention of Pseudomonas aeruginosa cross-infection at a cystic fibrosis centre - results of a 10-year prospective study.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the major pathogen in chronic lung infections of individuals with cystic fibrosis (CF). Unrelated CF patients may acquire P. aeruginosa from the environment or by cross-infection in the CF setting.

Frequency of the hyperactive W493R ENaC variant in carriers of a CFTR mutation.

Background: The basic defect of the autosomal recessive disorder cystic fibrosis (CF) manifests in chloride hyposecretion and sodium hyperabsorption. CF-like disease has been reported in a heterozygous carrier of F508del CFTR and the hyperactive variant p.W493R-SCNN1A of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC).

Initial interrogation, confirmation and fine mapping of modifying genes: STAT3, IL1B and IFNGR1 determine cystic fibrosis disease manifestation.

We have used a stepwise approach consisting of initial interrogation, confirmation and fine mapping to analyze STAT3, IL1B and IFNGR1 as modifiers of cystic fibrosis disease building upon the data and sample collection of the European Cystic Fibrosis Twin and Sibling Study. We have observed direct correlation between the length of the intronic microsatellite STAT3Sat to STAT3 expression levels among F508del-CFTR homozygous patients (P=0.0075), and an association of longer STAT3Sat-alleles with the presence of CFTR-mediated residual chloride secretion (P=0.

An association study on contrasting cystic fibrosis endophenotypes recognizes KRT8 but not KRT18 as a modifier of cystic fibrosis disease severity and CFTR mediated residual chloride secretion.

Background: F508del-CFTR, the most frequent disease-causing mutation among Caucasian cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, has been characterised as a mutant defective in protein folding, processing and trafficking. We have investigated the two neighbouring cytokeratin genes KRT8 and KRT18 in a candidate gene approach to ask whether variants in KRT8 and/or KRT18 modify the impaired ion conductance known as the CF basic defect, and whether they are associated with correct trafficking of mutant CFTR and disease severity of CF.

Methods: We have selected contrasting F508del-CFTR homozygous patient subpopulations stratified for disease severity, comparing 13 concordant mildly affected sib pairs vs.

Genes that determine immunology and inflammation modify the basic defect of impaired ion conductance in cystic fibrosis epithelia.

Background: The cystic fibrosis (CF) basic defect, caused by dysfunction of the apical chloride channel CFTR in the gastrointestinal and respiratory tract epithelia, has not been employed so far to support the role of CF modifier genes.

Methods: Patients were selected from 101 families with a total of 171 F508del-CFTR homozygous CF patients to identify CF modifying genes. A candidate gene based association study of 52 genes on 16 different chromosomes with a total of 182 genetic markers was performed.

Differential decay of parent-of-origin-specific genomic sharing in cystic fibrosis-affected sib pairs maps a paternally imprinted locus to 7q34.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a monogenic disease characterized by a high variability of disease severity and outcome that points to the role of environmental factors and modulating genes that shape the course of this multiorgan disease. We genotyped families of cystic fibrosis sib pairs homozygous for F508del-CFTR who represent extreme clinical phenotypes at informative microsatellite markers spanning a 38 Mb region between CFTR and 7qtel. Recombination events on both parental chromosomes were compared between siblings with concordant clinical phenotypes and siblings with discordant clinical phenotypes.

Hierarchical fine mapping of the cystic fibrosis modifier locus on 19q13 identifies an association with two elements near the genes CEACAM3 and CEACAM6.

On 19q13, TGFB1 and the cystic fibrosis modifier 1 locus (CFM1) have been identified as modifiers of the course of the monogenic disease cystic fibrosis (CF). Recently, we have described a transmission disequilibrium at the microsatellite D19S197, localized between TGFB1 and CFM1. To map the corresponding molecular variants, we have selected informative SNP markers within a 600-kb area and compared two-marker-haplotype-distributions between phenotypically contrasting sib pair groups, intending to type only phylogenetically old markers by aiming for close-to-maximal polymorphism information content of the SNPs.