Microarray Assay Reveals Ciliary Abnormalities of the Allergic Nasal Mucosa

Background Gene expression patterns (particularly, cilia-associated genes) of nasal mucosa, the first-line defense system, in allergic rhinitis (AR) are not well understood. Objective We sought to screen for AR-associated genes in inferior turbinate (IT) from patients with AR, and to validate the expression of common cilia-related genes and ciliary shedding. Methods Prime View™ Human Gene Expression Array, which consisted of more than 530 000 probes covering more than 36 000 transcripts and variants, was employed to compare individual gene expression of ITs from control subjects (n = 11) and patients with AR (n = 19). Gene ontology (GO) analysis was performed with Cytoscape software. Eight of the common cilia-related genes were validated with quantitative polymerase chain reaction. We applied a semiquantitative scoring system for immunofluorescence assay to demonstrate ciliary shedding in 5 areas per paraffin section, with individual sections being scored between 0 (normal ciliary distribution) and 1 (ciliary shedding). Results Compared with control subjects, 160 (38 upregulated and 122 downregulated) genes were differentially expressed for at least 2 folds (all P < .05) in AR. Seven GO categories were significantly enriched, 4 of which were related to cilium assembly and motility. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction validated the predicted direction of change for common cilia-related gene expression. The ciliary distribution score was significantly higher (more prominent ciliary shedding) in AR than in controls ( P < .05). Conclusion The significant aberrant cilia-related gene expression, revealed by microarray assays, might be the critical driver of AR where ciliary shedding is prominent.