Altered Extracellular Vesicle-Derived Protein and microRNA Signatures in Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid from Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Sabine Bartel,
Justina C. Wolters,
Hasnat Noor,
Karim Rafie,
Jiahua Fang,
Benedikt Kirchner,
Esther Nolte-′t Hoen,
Michael W. Pfaffl,
Steven Rutgers,
Wim Timens,
Maarten van den Berge,
Machteld N. Hylkema
Affiliations
Sabine Bartel
Department of Pathology and Medical Biology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands
Justina C. Wolters
Department of Pediatrics, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands
Hasnat Noor
Department of Pathology and Medical Biology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands
Karim Rafie
Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Groningen Research Institute of Pharmacy (GRIP), University of Groningen, 9712 CP Groningen, The Netherlands
Jiahua Fang
Department of Pathology and Medical Biology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands
Benedikt Kirchner
Division of Animal Physiology and Immunology, School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany
Esther Nolte-′t Hoen
Department of Biomolecular Health Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands
Michael W. Pfaffl
Division of Animal Physiology and Immunology, School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, 85354 Freising, Germany
Steven Rutgers
Scheper Hospital, 7824 AA Emmen, The Netherlands
Wim Timens
Department of Pathology and Medical Biology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands
Maarten van den Berge
Groningen Research Institute for Asthma and COPD (GRIAC), University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands
Machteld N. Hylkema
Department of Pathology and Medical Biology, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, 9713 GZ Groningen, The Netherlands
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive lung disease for which there is no cure. Accumulating research results suggest a role for extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the pathogenesis of COPD. This study aimed to uncover the involvement of EVs and their molecular cargo in the progression of COPD by identification of EV-associated protein and microRNA (miRNA) profiles. We isolated EVs from the bronchial alveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of 18 patients with COPD and 11 healthy controls using size-exclusion chromatography. EV isolates were characterized using nanoparticle tracking analysis and protein content. Proteomic analysis revealed a higher abundance of 284 proteins (log2FC > 1) and a lower abundance of 3 proteins (log2FC 100, FDR < 0.05). Our data indicate that the molecular composition of EVs in the BALF of patients with COPD is altered compared to healthy control EVs. Several components in COPD EVs were identified that may perpetuate inflammation and alveolar tissue destruction.
