Expression data from airway epithelial cells stimulated with Poly(I:C) from patients with asthma, rhinitis, and healthy controls

Rhinovirus infections are the most common cause of asthma exacerbations. The complex responses by the airway epithelium to rhinovirus can be captured by gene expression profiling. We hypothesized that the upper and lower airway epithelium exhibit differential responses to double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), and that this is modulated by the presence of asthma and allergic rhinitis. Identification of dsRNA-induced gene expression profiles by microarray of primary nasal and bronchial epithelial cells from the same individuals and examining the impact of allergic rhinitis with and without concomitant allergic asthma on expression profiles. 17 subjects were included in a cross-sectional study (6 allergic asthma and allergic rhinitis; 5 allergic rhinitis; 6 healthy controls). RNA was extracted from isolated and cultured epithelial cells that were stimulated with Poly(I:C) for 24 hours from bronchial brushes and nasal biopsies, and analyzed by microarray (Affymetrix U133+ PM Genechip Array).