Transcription factors in asthma and COPD

This chapter reviews the physiological function of the transcription factors in the normal cells and the role of some transcription factors that may be relevant in the pathogenesis of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Asthma and COPD are characterized by an increased expression of components of the inflammatory cascade. The increased expression of these proteins seen in asthma and COPD is the result of enhanced gene transcription. Transcription factors regulate the expression of many genes, including inflammatory genes, and play a key role in the pathogenesis of asthma and COPD since they regulate the increased gene expression that may underlie the acute and chronic inflammatory mechanisms that characterize these diseases. Transcription factors may amplify and perpetuate the inflammatory process, so it is possible that abnormal functioning of transcription factors may determine disease severity and response to treatment. Several new compounds based on interacting with specific transcription factors or their activation pathways are now in development for the treatment of asthma and COPD, and some drugs already in clinical use are thought to work via transcription factors. In the future the role of transcription factors and the genetic regulation of their expression in asthma and COPD may be an increasingly important aspect of research, as this may be one of the critical mechanisms regulating the expression of clinical phenotypes and their responsiveness to therapy.