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Review
. 2024 Jul 3;33(173):240055.
doi: 10.1183/16000617.0055-2024. Print 2024 Jul.

Pathophysiology and genomics of bronchiectasis

Affiliations
Review

Pathophysiology and genomics of bronchiectasis

Lidia Perea et al. Eur Respir Rev. .

Abstract

Bronchiectasis is a complex and heterogeneous inflammatory chronic respiratory disease with an unknown cause in around 30-40% of patients. The presence of airway infection together with chronic inflammation, airway mucociliary dysfunction and lung damage are key components of the vicious vortex model that better describes its pathophysiology. Although bronchiectasis research has significantly increased over the past years and different endotypes have been identified, there are still major gaps in the understanding of the pathophysiology. Genomic approaches may help to identify new endotypes, as has been shown in other chronic airway diseases, such as COPD.Different studies have started to work in this direction, and significant contributions to the understanding of the microbiome and proteome diversity have been made in bronchiectasis in recent years. However, the systematic application of omics approaches to identify new molecular insights into the pathophysiology of bronchiectasis (endotypes) is still limited compared with other respiratory diseases.Given the complexity and diversity of these technologies, this review describes the key components of the pathophysiology of bronchiectasis and how genomics can be applied to increase our knowledge, including the study of new techniques such as proteomics, metabolomics and epigenomics. Furthermore, we propose that the novel concept of trained innate immunity, which is driven by microbiome exposures leading to epigenetic modifications, can complement our current understanding of the vicious vortex. Finally, we discuss the challenges, opportunities and implications of genomics application in clinical practice for better patient stratification into new therapies.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: L. Perea reports no conflicts of interest. R. Faner reports grants or contracts from AstraZeneca, Chiesi, GlaxoSmithKline, Menarini, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, European Research Council and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER); lecture honoraria from AstraZeneca, Zambon and Chiesi; and consulting fees from AstraZeneca. J.D. Chalmers reports grants or contracts from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Genentech, Gilead Sciences, GlaxoSmithKline, Grifols, Insmed, LifeArc and Novartis; and consulting fees from AstraZeneca, Chiesi, GlaxoSmithKline, Insmed, Grifols, Novartis, Boehringer Ingelheim, Pfizer, Janssen, Antabio and Zambon. O. Sibila reports no conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Model of the vicious vortex in bronchiectasis. Graphical representation of the vicious cycle for explaining the pathophysiology of bronchiectasis through the interconnection of the key components (airway infection, airway inflammation, mucociliary clearance and structural lung damage) and the potential influence of the genome and exposome on it. Figure partially created with BioRender.com.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Conceptual overview of omics. Description of the relevance of genomics in the precision medicine of bronchiectasis by defining the contribution of genetics, epigenetics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics on the identification of endotypes of patients. Figure partially created with BioRender.com.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Hypothesis of trained innate immunity applied to the vicious vortex framework of bronchiectasis. This graphical representation shows the hypothesis about how the novel concept of trained innate immunity can contribute to the pathogenesis of bronchiectasis through epigenetic reprogramming and metabolic adaptations after exposures to microorganisms such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa). Figure partially created with BioRender.com.

Comment in

References

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