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Sulfatase modifying factor 1 (SUMF1) is associated with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Weidner, Julie; Jarenbäck, Linnea; de Jong, Kim; Vonk, Judith M; van den Berge, Maarten; Brandsma, Corry-Anke; Boezen, H. M; Sin, Don; Bossé, Yohan; Nickle, David; et al.

Abstract

Background: It has been observed that mice lacking the sulfatase modifying factor (Sumf1) developed an emphysema-like phenotype. However, it is unknown if SUMF1 may play a role in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in humans. The aim was to investigate if the expression and genetic regulation of SUMF1 differs between smokers with and without COPD. Methods: SUMF1 mRNA was investigated in sputum cells and whole blood from controls and COPD patients (all current or former smokers). Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analysis was used to investigate if single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in SUMF1 were significantly associated with SUMF1 expression. The association of SUMF1 SNPs with COPD was examined in a population based cohort, Lifelines. SUMF1 mRNA from sputum cells, lung tissue, and lung fibroblasts, as well as lung function parameters, were investigated in relation to genotype. Results: Certain splice variants of SUMF1 showed a relatively high expression in lung tissue compared to many other tissues. SUMF1 Splice variant 2 and 3 showed lower levels in sputum cells from COPD patients as compared to controls. Twelve SNPs were found significant by eQTL analysis and overlapped with the array used for genotyping of Lifelines. We found alterations in mRNA expression in sputum cells and lung fibroblasts associated with SNP rs11915920 (top hit in eQTL), which validated the results of the lung tissue eQTL analysis. Of the twelve SNPs, two SNPs, rs793391 and rs308739, were found to be associated with COPD in Lifelines. The SNP rs793391 was also confirmed to be associated with lung function changes. Conclusions: We show that SUMF1 expression is affected in COPD patients compared to controls, and that SNPs in SUMF1 are associated with an increased risk of COPD. Certain COPD-associated SNPs have effects on either SUMF1 gene expression or on lung function. Collectively, this study shows that SUMF1 is associated with an increased risk of developing COPD.

Item Metadata

Title
Sulfatase modifying factor 1 (SUMF1) is associated with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Creator
Weidner, Julie; Jarenbäck, Linnea; de Jong, Kim; Vonk, Judith M; van den Berge, Maarten; Brandsma, Corry-Anke; Boezen, H. M; Sin, Don; Bossé, Yohan; Nickle, David; Ankerst, Jaro; Bjermer, Leif; Postma, Dirkje S; Faiz, Alen; Tufvesson, Ellen
Contributor
University of British Columbia. Centre for Heart Lung Innovation
Publisher
BioMed Central
Date Issued
2017-05-02
Description
Background: It has been observed that mice lacking the sulfatase modifying factor (Sumf1) developed an emphysema-like phenotype. However, it is unknown if SUMF1 may play a role in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in humans. The aim was to investigate if the expression and genetic regulation of SUMF1 differs between smokers with and without COPD. Methods: SUMF1 mRNA was investigated in sputum cells and whole blood from controls and COPD patients (all current or former smokers). Expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analysis was used to investigate if single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in SUMF1 were significantly associated with SUMF1 expression. The association of SUMF1 SNPs with COPD was examined in a population based cohort, Lifelines. SUMF1 mRNA from sputum cells, lung tissue, and lung fibroblasts, as well as lung function parameters, were investigated in relation to genotype. Results: Certain splice variants of SUMF1 showed a relatively high expression in lung tissue compared to many other tissues. SUMF1 Splice variant 2 and 3 showed lower levels in sputum cells from COPD patients as compared to controls. Twelve SNPs were found significant by eQTL analysis and overlapped with the array used for genotyping of Lifelines. We found alterations in mRNA expression in sputum cells and lung fibroblasts associated with SNP rs11915920 (top hit in eQTL), which validated the results of the lung tissue eQTL analysis. Of the twelve SNPs, two SNPs, rs793391 and rs308739, were found to be associated with COPD in Lifelines. The SNP rs793391 was also confirmed to be associated with lung function changes. Conclusions: We show that SUMF1 expression is affected in COPD patients compared to controls, and that SNPs in SUMF1 are associated with an increased risk of COPD. Certain COPD-associated SNPs have effects on either SUMF1 gene expression or on lung function. Collectively, this study shows that SUMF1 is associated with an increased risk of developing COPD.
Subject
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Lung fibroblast; Single nucleotide polymorphism; Sputum; Sulfatase modifying factor 1
Genre
Article
Type
Text
Language
eng
Date Available
2018-05-14
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
DOI
10.14288/1.0366295
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/65862
Affiliation
Medicine, Faculty of; Other UBC; Non UBC; Medicine, Department of; Respiratory Medicine, Division of
Citation
Respiratory Research. 2017 May 02;18(1):77
Publisher DOI
10.1186/s12931-017-0562-5
Peer Review Status
Reviewed
Scholarly Level
Faculty
Copyright Holder
The Author(s).
Rights URI
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)