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Dexamethasone-Induced FKBP51 Expression in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Could Play a Role in Predicting the Response of Asthmatics to Treatment with Corticosteroids

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Abstract

Background

Corticosteroids (CSs) are the preferred anti-inflammatory therapy for the treatment of asthma, but the responses of asthmatics to CSs are known to vary. It has thus become important to discover reliable markers in predicting responses to CSs.

Methods

We performed time-series microarrays using a murine model of asthma after a single dose of dexamethasone, based on the assumption that the gene showing a greater change in response to CSs can also be a potential marker for that finding. We then evaluated the clinical meaning of the gene discovered in the microarray experiments.

Results

We found that the expression of FK506 binding protein 51 gene (FKBP51) in lung tissue markedly increased after dexamethasone treatment in a murine model of asthma. We then measured dexamethasone-induced FKBP51 expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in asthmatics. Dexamethasone-induced FKBP51 expression in PBMCs was significantly higher in severe asthmatics compared with mild-to-moderate asthmatics treated with inhaled CSs. In addition, we found that dexamethasone-induced FKBP51 expression in PBMCs was inversely correlated with improvement in lung function after treatment with orally administered prednisolone in six steroid-naive asthmatics.

Conclusion

Dexamethasone-induced FKBP51 expression in PBMCs may be a reliable and practical biomarker in predicting the response to CSs in asthmatics.

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Abbreviations

CSs:

Corticosteroids

FKBP51:

FK506 binding protein 51

GR:

Glucocorticoid receptor

PBMCs:

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells

PBS:

Phosphate-buffered saline

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by a grant from the Korea Health 21 R&D Project (AO30001) from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea, and by a grant from Seoul National University Hospital (0420071030).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 28 Yongondong, Chongno-gu, Seoul, 110-744, Republic of Korea

    Eunyoung Chun, Hyun-Seung Lee, Bo-Ram Bang, Tae-Wan Kim, So-Hee Lee, Sang-Heon Cho, Kyung-Up Min, You-Young Kim & Heung-Woo Park

  2. Institute of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Eunyoung Chun, Hyun-Seung Lee, Bo-Ram Bang, Tae-Wan Kim, So-Hee Lee, Sang-Heon Cho, Kyung-Up Min, You-Young Kim & Heung-Woo Park

  3. Seoul National University Biomedical Informatics, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Ju-Han Kim

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  1. Eunyoung Chun
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Correspondence to Heung-Woo Park.

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Chun, E., Lee, HS., Bang, BR. et al. Dexamethasone-Induced FKBP51 Expression in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Could Play a Role in Predicting the Response of Asthmatics to Treatment with Corticosteroids. J Clin Immunol 31, 122–127 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10875-010-9463-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10875-010-9463-9

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