DNA methylation in airway and parenchymal fibroblasts isloated by from individuals with and without asthma

Background: Mesenchymal fibroblasts are ubiquitous cells that maintain the extracellular matrix of organs. Within the lung, airway and parenchymal fibroblasts are crucial for lung development and are altered with disease, but it has been difficult to understand their roles due to the lack of distinct molecular markers. We studied DNA methylation and gene expression in airway and parenchymal lung fibroblasts from healthy and asthmatic donors, to identify a molecular marker and to determine if they are molecularly distinct in asthma.