@article {Saheb Sharif-Askari00984-2020, author = {Fatemeh Saheb Sharif-Askari and Narjes Saheb Sharif Askari and Swati Goel and Bassam Mahboub and Abdul Wahid Ansari and Mohamad-Hani Temsah and Adel M. Zakri and Elaref Ratemi and Rifat Hamoudi and Qutayba Hamid and Rabih Halwani}, title = {Upregulation of IL-19 cytokine during severe asthma: a potential saliva biomarker for asthma severity}, elocation-id = {00984-2020}, year = {2021}, doi = {10.1183/23120541.00984-2020}, publisher = {European Respiratory Society}, abstract = {Interleukin (IL)-19, a designated IL-20 subfamily cytokine, has been implicated in inflammatory disorders including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and lately in asthma. Here, through the analysis of transcriptomic datasets of lung tissue of large asthmatic cohorts, we report that IL-19 expression level is upregulated in asthma and correlates with disease severity. The gene expression of IL-19 in lung tissue was significantly higher in severe and mild/moderate asthmatic compared to healthy controls. IL-19 protein level, however, was significantly higher in the blood and saliva of severe asthmatics compared to mild/moderate subgroups as measured by ELISA assay. Interestingly, IL-19 protein level was not affected by corticosteroid treatment in plasma. Our data provide insights into the potential use of IL-19 as a saliva marker for asthma severity and a potential therapeutic target.FootnotesThis manuscript has recently been accepted for publication in the ERJ Open Research. It is published here in its accepted form prior to copyediting and typesetting by our production team. After these production processes are complete and the authors have approved the resulting proofs, the article will move to the latest issue of the ERJOR online. Please open or download the PDF to view this article.Conflict of interest: Dr. Saheb Sharif-Askari has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Dr. Saheb Sharif-Askari has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Dr. Goel has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Dr. Mahboub has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Dr. Ansari has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Dr. Temsah has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Dr. Zakri has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Dr. Ratemi has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Dr. Hamoudi has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Dr. Hamid has nothing to disclose.Conflict of interest: Dr. Halwani has nothing to disclose.}, URL = {https://openres.ersjournals.com/content/early/2021/04/15/23120541.00984-2020}, eprint = {https://openres.ersjournals.com/content/early/2021/04/15/23120541.00984-2020.full.pdf}, journal = {ERJ Open Research} }