Airway pH regulatory proteins are present and altered in asthma

<bold>Background:</bold> Asthma affects 262 million people worldwide. Airway pH is low in asthma and low airway pH causes many physiologic disturbances (Saunders JL et al. PMID: 37465558). Airway pH regulation is poorly understood. We hypothesized that a panel of pH regulatory proteins would be present in primary human airway epithelial cells (HAECs) and altered in asthma. <bold>Methods:</bold> HAECs from subjects with asthma and subjects with no known airway disease (controls) were grown in an air-liquid interface until differentiated. We measured carbonic anhydrases I, II and XII (CA1, CA2, and CA12); lactate dehydrogenases a, b and d (LDHa, LDHb and LDHd); glutaminase 1 (GLS1); K+-transporting ATPase alpha chain 2 (ATP12a); H+ voltage-gated channel 1 (Hv1); vacuolar ATPase subunit B2 (ATP6V1B2); NA+/H+ exchanger regulatory factor (NHERF1); S-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR); and dual oxidases 1 and 2 (DUOX1 and DUOX2) proteins in asthma and control HAEC lysates by a capillary electrophoresis system (JESS, ProteinSimple). <bold>Results:</bold> Each protein was present in HAECs from asthma and control subjects. CA2, CA12, LDHb, LDHd, GLS1, ATP12A and DUOX1 were increased and HV1 was decreased in subjects with asthma. <bold>Conclusion:</bold> All of the measured proteins were present in HAECs and may contribute to airway pH regulation. Expression of several pH regulatory proteins is altered in HAECS from subjects with asthma which may contribute to the airway acidification in asthma. <fig><object-id>erj;64/suppl_68/PA2666/F1</object-id><object-id>F1</object-id><object-id>F1</object-id><graphic></graphic></fig>