Clinical Trial: Exposure in Epigenetic Regulation of Immune Response in Chronic Beryllium Disease (CBD)

Study Status: Recruiting
Recruit Status: Recruiting
Study Type: Observational

Official Title:

Brief Summary:

This study will provide important results for each aim, while also providing an integrative transcriptional and epigenomic profile of CBD.

In Aim 1 the Investigator will define genome-wide epigenetic alterations of CBD, by determining genes that are DM in pivotal immune cells, in the target organ (CD4+ BAL cells) in CBD compared to BeS and healthy controls. In addition, the Investigator will determine the impact of Be exposure on the methylation profile of CBD and BeS cells compared to each other and normal controls. This information will be used to define DM regions, genes and their networks.

Using the cases and controls from Aim 1, we will evaluate the gene-expression from these same subjects in Aim 2 to define functional epigenetic loci based on DE in CD4+ BAL cells with and without Be exposure. The Investigator will also integrate ENCODE/RE methylation, histone modification, and chromatin accessibility data as well as our genome-wide association study (GWAS) data to prioritize epigenetic marks and networks for confirmation and validation in Aim 3. In Aim 3, the Investigator will test the generalizability of their findings, explore the potential of methylation marks as biomarkers of disease in PBMCs and determine if change in methylation of these targets with AZA or folic acid affects key immune and regulatory pathways in a second set of CBD and BeS subjects. Throughout the Aims, the Investigator will use both fresh CD4+ T cells to directly assess disease relevance and Be-stimulated cultured CD4+ T cells (compared to unstimulated cultured T cells) to assess the impact of environmental exposure .


Detailed Summary:
Sponsor: National Jewish Health

Current Primary Outcome:

  • Determine the critical immune and environmentally-induced epigenetic alterations in the CD4+ T cells at the site of disease involvement from CBD compared to BeS and control subjects. [ Time Frame: Year 1 through year 2 ]
    The Investigators goal is to define an epigenomic profile for BeS and CBD and for Be exposure in the lung. Most studies using similar methods have demonstrated significant hypo- and hyper-methylation, in disease states, which we also expect to find. In addition, we expect to confirm an association between CBD and Th1 epigenetic regulation, finding DM in regions such as FOXP3, Th1 differentiation pathways and TNFalpha, likely with modulation of these and other regions with Be exposure. There is no information regarding methylation alterations induced by an immune mediated exposure such as Be. The investigator expects to define new and unique genes with DM, some involved in the immune response and others in pathways and networks not known to be associated with granulomatous inflammation, shedding light on the pathogenesis of this and similar diseases.
  • Define the functional impact of critical immune and environmentally-induced epigenetic alterations in gene expression from BAL CD4+ T cells from CBD compared to BeS and control subjects used in Aim 1 [ Time Frame: year 1 through year 4 ]
    At the end of Aim 2, the Investigator will have 20 genes with validated methylation and expression changes. These methylation changes are likely to be regulatory in CD4+ T cells not only based on relationship with expression but also network analysis of methylation changes (Aim 1), relationship with immune cell phenotypes, cell specific chromatin/histone marks from ENCODE and RE datasets, and our CBD GWAS SNPs (Aim 2). The Investigat

    Original Primary Outcome: Same as current

    Current Secondary Outcome: Test the generalizability of our findings and validity of identified methylation and gene expression changes as potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets. [ Time Frame: Year 3 through year 5 ]

    This Aim will result in a set of key data, including potential new biomarkers of disease and exposure in CBD. The Investigator expects to be able to validate the 20 loci identified in Aim 2 in BAL as well as PBMCs. Even with a sample size of n=10 in their gene-expression studies, the Investigator was able to define significant DE in PBMCs in CBD that they are currently exploring as biomarkers in a larger population; the Investigator expects that with changes found evaluating the relationship between DM and DE that they will be able to use the PBMCs as a biomarker of disease and exposure.


    Original Secondary Outcome: Same as current

    Information By: National Jewish Health

    Dates:
    Date Received: November 10, 2015
    Date Started: December 2014
    Date Completion:
    Last Updated: September 20, 2016
    Last Verified: September 2016