Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42703035›Full record

Observational studyAllergy2026

Nasal Epithelial Immune Signatures Are Associated With Age-Dependent Asthma Trajectories in Early Life.

Constanze A Jakwerth, Sabina Illi, Helen Charles, Madlen Oelsner, Amr A Gabr, Ulrich M Zissler, Anna Erb, Martin Feuerherd, Felix Drost, Maren Büttner and 21 more

2 registry-linked trialsAbstract readMulticenter StudyObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in Allergy, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT02419274 recruitingnot on this map

The All Age Asthma Cohort (ALLIANCE) of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Adult Arm

Typeobservational_patient_registrySponsorLungenClinic GrosshansdorfRan2014 to 2030Enrolled400ConditionsAsthma
NCT02496468 recruitingnot on this map

The All Age Asthma Cohort (ALLIANCE) of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Pediatric Arm

TypeobservationalSponsorLMU KlinikumRan2013 to 2027Enrolled1,500ConditionsAsthma, Wheeze, Hypersensitivity, Endophenotype
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Observational
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

31 authors.

Constanze A JakwerthSchool of Medicine and Health, Center of Allergy and Environment (ZAUM), Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2902-0393
Sabina IlliMember of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Germany.
Helen CharlesSchool of Medicine and Health, Center of Allergy and Environment (ZAUM), Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Madlen OelsnerSchool of Medicine and Health, Center of Allergy and Environment (ZAUM), Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Amr A GabrSchool of Medicine and Health, Center of Allergy and Environment (ZAUM), Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Ulrich M ZisslerSchool of Medicine and Health, Center of Allergy and Environment (ZAUM), Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Anna ErbSchool of Medicine and Health, Center of Allergy and Environment (ZAUM), Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Martin FeuerherdHelmholtz Munich, Munich, Germany.
Felix DrostInstitute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Munich-German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany.
Maren BüttnerInstitute of Computational Biology, Helmholtz Munich-German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany.
Benjamin SchubertMember of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Germany.
Nicole MaisonMember of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8731-4218
Jimmy OmonyMember of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Germany.
Markus WeckmannMember of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5342-979X
Ruth GrychtolMember of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Germany.
Anna-Maria DittrichMember of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Germany.
Svenja FothMember of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Germany.
Chrysanthi SkevakiMember of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Germany.
Tobias TrojanMember of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Germany.
Silke van Koningsbruggen-RietschelMember of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Germany.
Gesine HansenMember of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Germany.
Thomas BahmerMember of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Germany.
Klaus F RabeMember of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Germany.
Folke BrinkmannMember of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Germany.
Matthias Volkmar KoppDivision of Pediatric Pneumology and Allergology, University Children's Hospital Lübeck, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Lübeck, Germany.
Ulrike ProtzerHelmholtz Munich, Munich, Germany.
Adam M ChakerSchool of Medicine and Health, Center of Allergy and Environment (ZAUM), Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
Bianca SchaubMember of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Germany.
Erika von MutiusMember of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL), Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8893-4515
Carsten B Schmidt-WeberSchool of Medicine and Health, Center of Allergy and Environment (ZAUM), Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3203-8084
ALLIANCE Study Group as part of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL)

Funding

Bavarian State Office for Health and Food Safety K1-2497-GLB-20-V4BMBF grant DeepTCR 031L0290ADeutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) KFO 309Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) RTG2668Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) SFB 1021Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) SK 317/1-1Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) 82DZL033C2Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) DZL2024-27German Center for Child and Adolescent Health (DZKJ) SCHA-997/10-1German Center for Child and Adolescent Health (DZKJ) SCHA 997/11-1German Center for Child and Adolescent Health (DZKJ) SCHA SCHA-997/9-1Helmholtz Association under the joint research school "Munich School for Data Science - MUDS"Joachim Herz StiftungUniversities Giessen and Marburg Lung Center (UGMLC), University Hospital Giessen and Marburg (UKGM) Research
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPreschool wheeze is heterogeneous and only a subset of children progresses to persistent asthma. We hypothesized that early-life wheeze reflects divergent airway epithelial maturation trajectories associated with distinct mucosal immune programs.

methodsNasal epithelial transcriptomes from 265 children and young adults (79 healthy, 81 wheezers, 105 asthmatics; median age 10.4 [1.1-20.3] years) from the All Age Asthma Cohort (ALLIANCE) cohort were analyzed using a hypothesis-driven candidate approach based on predefined cytokine axes. Transcriptional signatures were mapped to epithelial cells by scRNA-sequencing. Asthma-outcome associations were assessed in age- and sensitization-adjusted multivariate models.

resultsThe candidate approach identified three antagonistic epithelial immune programs: an interferon-associated (E1; IDO1, CSF3, CCL20), a type-2-associated (E2; POSTN, CCL26, CST1), and a type-17-associated program (E3; IL36G, KLK7, KRTDAP). These programs were detected across basal, ciliated, and secretory epithelial cells. In early childhood (1-3 years), wheezers predominantly exhibited E1/E3-dominant epithelial profiles (n = 36). Age-group-specific comparisons showed higher E2 and lower E1/E3 expression in wheezers aged 4-6 years (n = 38) than in those aged 1-3 years (n = 36). E2 dominance correlated with IgE, FeNO, and eosinophilia (p < 0.01). In multivariate models assessing asthma outcome at age 6, E1 expression was inversely associated with asthma persistence (OR = 0.15, p < 0.05), whereas E3 expression was associated with disease progression (OR = 4.93, p < 0.05). The combined epithelial signature discriminated asthma outcomes with high accuracy (AUC = 0.90), independent of allergic sensitization.

conclusionEarly-life wheeze reflects distinct airway epithelial immune programs characterized by age-associated patterns in epithelial immune activity. Nasal epithelial transcriptional signatures capture molecular trajectories associated with asthma persistence and may enable early risk stratification.

trial registrationAll-Age-Asthma (ALLIANCE) cohort: clinicaltrials.gov: NCT02496468; adult arm: NCT02419274.

Indexed as

AsthmaNasal MucosaAdolescentAge FactorsBiomarkersChildChild, PreschoolCytokinesFemaleGene Expression ProfilingHumansInfantMaleTranscriptomeYoung AdultBiomarkersCytokinesairway epitheliumasthmaearly life wheezeepithelial immunitynasal transcriptomicstype‐2 inflammation

Identifiers

PMID42703035
PMCPMC13646873

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.