Exposure to Dust Mites during Pregnancy May Lead to Increased Asthma Risk in Descendants

Article title: Grandmaternal allergen sensitization reprograms epigenetic and airway responses to allergen in second generation offspring 

Authors: Katie M. Lebold, Madeline Cook, Alexandra B. Pincus, Kimberly A. Nevonen, Brett A. Davis, Lucia Carbone, Gina N. Calco, Aubrey B. Pierce, Becky J. Proskocil, Allison D. Fryer, David B. Jacoby, Matthew G. Drake

From the authors: “This study shows that maternal allergen exposure during pregnancy promotes unique epigenetic trajectories in second-generation offspring at baseline and in response to allergen sensitization, which is associated with potentiation of airway hyperreactivity.”

This study is highlighted as one of December’s “best of the best” as part of the American Physiological Society’s APSselect program.