Persistent transcriptomic changes following repeated exposure to wood smoke in non-human primate airway epithelial cells [RNA-Seq]

Wildfire events are increasing in number and severity, and inhalation of wildfire smoke can lead to airway inflammation, oxidative stress-induced lung injury, impaired mucociliary clearance, and exacerbation of respiratory conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Despite these well-documented health risks, the molecular mechanisms underlying the respiratory effects of wildfire smoke exposure and recovery remain incompletely understood.

In this study, we utilized transcriptomic and epigenomic analyses to investigate how exposure to wood smoke (WS) influences the expression patterns of gene networks in differentiated tracheobronchial epithelial cells from adult female rhesus monkeys. Our analysis identified exposure-induced differentially methylated regions, differentially expressed genes and gene networks that are implicated in lung disease, including dysregulation of immune responses, oxidative stress and cell death, compromise of epithelial barrier integrity and function, and epigenetic remodeling.