Expression of CD39 mRNA is altered in the peripheral blood of patients with allergic asthma

Abstract

The ectoenzyme CD39 hydrolyzes extracellular adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP), which possesses pro-inflammatory properties. However, the role of CD39 in allergic asthma has not been fully elucidated. A total of 18 patients with persistent asthma who were allergic to house dust mites and 19 healthy volunteers were enrolled in this study. The expression of CD39, GATA3, RAR-related orphan receptor gamma (ROR-gammat) and forkhead box P3 (FoxP3) mRNA in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was determined by SYBR-Green I quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). The cytokines interleukin (IL)-4, IL-17A, transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) and DP.sIgE were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Our data demonstrated that the expression of CD39 mRNA in PBMCs from asthmatic patients was significantly lower compared to that in normal controls [(1.49+/-0.59)x10-3 vs. (2.17+/-0.77)x10-3, respectively; P<0.01]. CD39 mRNA was negatively correlated with serum IL-4, IL-17A and GATA3 expression (r=-0.468, P<0.05; r=-0.550, P<0.05; and r=-0.424, P<0.01, respectively) and positively correlated with FoxP3 and TGF-beta expression (r=0.373, P<0.05; and r=0.425, P<0.05, respectively). There was no obvious correlation between CD39 and ROR-gammat expression (r=-0.259, P=0.122). These data suggested that CD39 mRNA expression was downregulated in allergic asthma, which was positively correlated with serum IL-4, IL-17A and GATA3 expression and negatively correlated with serum TGF-beta and FoxP3 expression, whereas there was no correlation with ROR-gammat. Therefore, it was hypothesized that CD39 may participate in the occurrence and progression of allergic asthma.