Nasopharyngeal airway long noncoding RNAs of infants with bronchiolitis and subsequent risk of developing childhood asthma.

BACKGROUND

Severe bronchiolitis (ie, bronchiolitis requiring hospitalization) during infancy is a major risk factor for developing childhood asthma. However, the biological mechanisms linking these 2 conditions remain unclear.

OBJECTIVE

We sought to investigate the longitudinal relationship between nasopharyngeal airway long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) in infants with severe bronchiolitis and subsequent asthma development.

METHODS

In this multicenter prospective cohort study of infants with severe bronchiolitis, we performed RNA sequencing of nasopharyngeal airway lncRNAs at index hospitalization. First, we identified differentially expressed lncRNAs (DE-lncRNAs) associated with asthma development by age 6 years. Second, we investigated the associations of DE-lncRNAs with asthma-related clinical characteristics. Third, to characterize the function of DE-lncRNAs, we performed pathway analysis for mRNA targeted by DE-lncRNAs. Finally, we examined the associations of DE-lncRNAs with nasal cytokines at index hospitalization.

RESULTS

Among 343 infants with severe bronchiolitis (median age, 3 months), we identified 190 DE-lncRNAs (false-discovery rate [FDR] < 0.05) associated with asthma development (eg, LINC02145, RAMP2-AS1, and PVT1). These DE-lncRNAs were associated with asthma-related clinical characteristics (FDR < 0.05), for example, respiratory syncytial virus or rhinovirus infection, infant eczema, and IgE sensitization. Furthermore, DE-lncRNAs were characterized by asthma-related pathways, including mitogen-activated protein kinase, FcɛR, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-protein kinase B signaling pathways (FDR < 0.05). These DE-lncRNAs were also associated with nasal cytokines (eg, IL-1β, IL-4, and IL-13; FDR < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

In a multicenter cohort study of infants with severe bronchiolitis, we identified nasopharyngeal airway lncRNAs associated with childhood asthma development, characterized by asthma-related clinical characteristics, asthma-related pathways, and nasal cytokines. Our approach identifies lncRNAs underlying the bronchiolitis-asthma link and facilitates the early identification of infants at high risk of subsequent asthma development.