Expressions of Ezrin and Pip5k1α Proteins in Airway Smooth Muscle of Asthmatic Patients

Asthma is a complex and heterogeneous disease with a combination of genetic and environmental multifactors, which is mainly characterised by recurrent episodes of wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness and cough. The nature of the pathology manifests itself as a chronic inflammatory disease with abnormal antigen presentation and T-cell activation, and an imbalance of Th1/Th2 cells leading to dysfunction of airway smooth muscle cells. There is a lack of safe and effective medications against asthma for current treatment. For example, although glucocorticosteroids are the first-line drugs for asthma, only 12% of patients are able to use them in accordance with medical advice. β2 agonists are often used in combination with hormones, but up to 55% of asthmatics still fail to get effective control of their symptoms. Therefore, the development of innovative drugs with new targets and mechanisms has become the trend of asthma drug development at home and abroad. The discovery of new asthma targets will help to elucidate the asthma mechanism and solve a series of problems in clinical treatment.

Ezrin is one of the major members of the Ezrin-Radixin-Moesin (ERM) family, which plays an important role in the maintenance of cell morphology, cell migration, cell adhesion and polarisation. Pip5k1α is an important kinase involved in the intracellular phosphatidylinositol signaling pathway, which may be associated with the smooth muscle contraction and diastole related.

In a previous study, single-cell sequencing of lung tissue from asthmatic mice revealed that Ezrin and Pip5k1α were significantly increased in asthmatic airway smooth muscle cells. In vitro cellular experiments suggested that Ezrin and Pip5k1α inhibition could inhibit airway smooth muscle cell contraction, suggesting that inhibitors of both may provide a therapeutic advantage for reducing lung resistance in asthma. Therefore, further studies to elucidate the changes of Ezrin and Pip5k1α in asthma patients are warranted to provide a basis for the use of inhibitors of both as an alternative treatment for asthma.