Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41065049›Full record

ArticleAllergy2025

Genome-Wide Blood DNA Methylation Profiling in Birch Pollen Allergic Patients Undergoing Allergen-Specific Immunotherapy.

Angelika Lahnsteiner, Victoria Ellmer, Mengzhen Hao, Line Kring Tannert, Serge A Versteeg, Carsten Bindslev-Jensen, Ronald van Ree, Angela Risch, Lorenz Aglas

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Allergy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Angelika LahnsteinerDepartment of Biosciences and Medical Biology, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7402-3369
Victoria EllmerDepartment of Biosciences and Medical Biology, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0003-8378-7004
Mengzhen HaoDepartment of Biosciences and Medical Biology, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5363-191X
Line Kring TannertOdense Research Center for Anaphylaxis, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4039-5708
Serge A VersteegDepartment of Experimental Immunology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9729-3000
Carsten Bindslev-JensenOdense Research Center for Anaphylaxis, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8940-038X
Ronald van ReeDepartment of Experimental Immunology, Amsterdam University Medical Centers, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0767-0894
Angela RischDepartment of Biosciences and Medical Biology, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8026-5505
Lorenz AglasDepartment of Biosciences and Medical Biology, Paris Lodron University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1236-5934

Funding

Austrian Science FundChina Scholarship CouncilEarly Career Grant of the University of SalzburgEuropean Union's Seventh Framework Program FP7University of Salzburg Priority Program "Center for Tumor Biology and Immunology (CTBI)"
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundUntil now, no study has investigated the impact of allergen immunotherapy (AIT) on genome-wide DNA methylation in a longitudinal set-up. Herein, we investigated whether differences in DNA methylation occur in birch pollen allergic patients undergoing 6 months of birch pollen AIT, assessed alterations in methylation-based blood cell type composition, and correlated DNA methylation to serological AIT biomarkers.

methodsWe performed genome-wide DNA-methylation analysis on bisulfite-converted DNA derived from whole blood samples of 16 birch pollen-allergic patients (pre-/post-birch pollen AIT) and 15 placebo (pre-/post-placebo treatment).

resultsOur analysis identified cg22187251, located within a regulatory region upstream of the glucosaminyl (N-acetyl) transferase 2 (GCNT2) gene and cg22336863 upstream of the transcription start site of actin binding rho activating protein (ABRA), as hypermethylated. Functional assays revealed that these regions exhibit methylation-dependent promoter and enhancer activities. We identified differentially methylated positions within the HLA gene complex, and an AIT-specific increase of CD8+ T cell populations accompanied by a decrease in natural killer (NK) cell proportion. Strong to moderate correlations with clinical biomarkers (such as specific IgG

conclusionGCNT2 and ABRA are implicated in Rho-signaling, a pathway involved in Th2 differentiation. GCNT2 modulates the SMAD-dependent TGF-β pathway, indicating a role in mediating AIT-induced immunotolerance. This is the first longitudinal study investigating DNA methylation changes induced by birch pollen AIT.

Indexed as

AllergensBetulaDesensitization, ImmunologicDNA MethylationPollenRhinitis, Allergic, SeasonalAdultBiomarkersFemaleGenome-Wide Association StudyHumansMaleMiddle AgedAllergensBiomarkersallergen‐specific immunotherapybirch pollen allergyCD8+ T cellsDNA methylationepigenome‐wide DNA methylation studyHLANK cells

Identifiers

PMID41065049
PMCPMC12666740

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.