Donata Vercelli

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Courses

Scholarly Contributions

Chapters

• DeVries, A., & Vercelli, D. (2022). Epigenetics of Allergies. In Epigenetics of the Immune System. Elsevier.
• Vercelli, D. (2022). Inherited susceptibility to complex diseases. In Comprehensive Toxicology, 3rd Edition.
• Vercelli, D. (2017). Inherited susceptibility to complex diseases. In Comprehensive Toxicology. Elsevier.
• Vercelli, D., & DeVries, A. (2016). DNA methylation biomarkers in asthma and allergy. In Epigenetic Biomarkers and Diagnostics(pp 331-350). Academic Press.

Journals/Publications

• DeVries, A. A., McCauley, K., Stern, D. A., Lynch, S. V., & Vercelli, D. (2021). Maternal prenatal immunity, neonatal immune training, and early airway microbiota development shape the trajectory to childhood asthma. PNAS.
• DeVries, A., & Vercelli, D. (2016). Epigenetics and the trajectory to asthma. Epigenomics.
• Long, X., Daya, M., Zhao, J., Rafaels, N., Liang, H., Potee, J., Campbell, M., Zhang, B., Araujo, M., Oliveira, R., Mathias, R., Gao, L., Ruczinski, I., Georas, S., Vercelli, D., Beaty, T., Barnes, K., Chen, X., & Chen, Q. (2016). The role of ST2 and ST2 variants in schistosomiasis. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol..
• Pali-Schöll, I., Vercelli, D., Jensen-Jarolim, E., & von Mutius, E. (2021). Completing the hygiene hypothesis: secretory protein beta-lactoglobulin in stable dust may contribute to the allergy protective effect of cattle farms. Allergy.
• Vercelli, D., DeVries, A., McCauley, K., Fadrosh, D., Fujimura, K. E., Stern, D. A., & Lynch, S. V. (2022). Maternal prenatal immunity, neonatal trained immunity, and early airway microbiota shape childhood asthma development. Allergy, 77(12), 3617-3628. doi:10.1111/all.15442
• Vercelli, D., Nikolich-Zugich, J., Kraft, M., Anderson, D., Churko, J., Ezeh, P., Malone, S. P., Hahn, S., Conway, M. Y., VanLinden, S. R., Pivniouk, D., Michael, A., Uhrlaub, J. L., DeVries, A., Pivniouk, O., & Pivniouk, V. I. (2021). The OM-85 bacterial lysate inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection of epithelial cells by downregulating SARS-CoV-2 receptor expression. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2021.11.019
• Vercelli, D., Pasquali, C., Martinez, F., DeVries, A., Gozdz, J., Anderson, D., Abidov, A., Pivniouk, O. N., Michael, A., Ezeh, P., Gimenes-Junior, J. A., & Pivniouk, V. I. (2021). Airway administration of OM-85, a bacterial lysate, blocks experimental asthma by targeting dendritic cells and the epithelium/IL-33/ILC2 axis. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2021.09.013
• Vercelli, D., Vanlinden, S. R., Uhrlaub, J. L., Pivniouk, V., Pivniouk, O., Pivniouk, D., Nikolich-zugich, J., Michael, A., Malone, S. P., Kraft, M., Hahn, S., Ezeh, P., Devries, A., Conway, M. Y., Churko, J. M., & Anderson, D. (2022). The OM-85 bacterial lysate inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection of epithelial cells by downregulating SARS-CoV-2 receptor expression.. The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology, 149(3), 923-933.e6. doi:10.1016/j.jaci.2021.11.019
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  Treatments for coronavirus disease 2019, which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), are urgently needed but remain limited. SARS-CoV-2 infects cells through interactions of its spike (S) protein with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) on host cells. Multiple cells and organs are targeted, particularly airway epithelial cells. OM-85, a standardized lysate of human airway bacteria with strong immunomodulating properties and an impeccable safety profile, is widely used to prevent recurrent respiratory infections. We found that airway OM-85 administration inhibits Ace2 and Tmprss2 transcription in the mouse lung, suggesting that OM-85 might hinder SARS-CoV-2/host cell interactions..We sought to investigate whether and how OM-85 treatment protects nonhuman primate and human epithelial cells against SARS-CoV-2..ACE2 and TMPRSS2 mRNA and protein expression, cell binding of SARS-CoV-2 S1 protein, cell entry of SARS-CoV-2 S protein-pseudotyped lentiviral particles, and SARS-CoV-2 cell infection were measured in kidney, lung, and intestinal epithelial cell lines, primary human bronchial epithelial cells, and ACE2-transfected HEK293T cells treated with OM-85 in vitro..OM-85 significantly downregulated ACE2 and TMPRSS2 transcription and surface ACE2 protein expression in epithelial cell lines and primary bronchial epithelial cells. OM-85 also strongly inhibited SARS-CoV-2 S1 protein binding to, SARS-CoV-2 S protein-pseudotyped lentivirus entry into, and SARS-CoV-2 infection of epithelial cells. These effects of OM-85 appeared to depend on SARS-CoV-2 receptor downregulation..OM-85 inhibits SARS-CoV-2 epithelial cell infection in vitro by downregulating SARS-CoV-2 receptor expression. Further studies are warranted to assess whether OM-85 may prevent and/or reduce the severity of coronavirus disease 2019.
• Vercelli, D., Wheatley, L. M., Holloway, J. W., Svanes, C., Sears, M. R., Breton, C., Fedulov, A. V., Nilsson, E., Zhang, H., Togias, A., & Arshad, S. H. (2022). The role of epigenetics in multi‐generational transmission of asthma: An NIAID workshop report‐based narrative review. Clinical & Experimental Allergy, 52(11), 1264-1275. doi:10.1111/cea.14223
• Wittek, T., Winkler, S., Widhalm, R., Vercelli, D., Roth-walter, F., Pranger, C., Pali-scholl, I., Pacios, L. F., Mutius, E. V., Mayerhofer, H., Korath, A. D., Kasper-giebl, A., Jensen-jarolim, E., Hufnagl, K., Hofstetter, G., Hann, S., Bianchini, R., Altemeier, T., Ahlers, S., & Afify, S. M. (2022). Secretory protein beta-lactoglobulin in cattle stable dust may contribute to the allergy-protective farm effect.. Clinical and translational allergy, 12(2), e12125. doi:10.1002/clt2.12125
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  Growing up on a cattle farm and consuming raw cow's milk protects against asthma and allergies. We expect a cattle-specific protein as active component in this farm effect..Dust was collected from cattle and poultry stables and from mattresses of households. Urine was obtained from cattle, and ambient aerosols were sampled. Samples were analysed for BLG by SDS PAGE/immunoblot and mass spectrometry, and for association with metals by SEC-ICP-MS. PBMC of healthy donors were incubated with BLG +/- zinc, and proliferation and cytokines determined. BALB/c mice were pre-treated intranasally with stable dust extract containing BLG or depleted of BLG, and subsequent allergy response after sensitization was evaluated on antibody and symptom level..A major protein in dust from cattle farms and ambient air was identified as BLG. Urine from female and male cattle is a major source of BLG. In dust samples, BLG was associated with zinc. In vitro, zinc-BLG provoked significantly lower proliferation of CD4+ and CD8+ cells while inducing significantly higher levels of IFN-γ and IL-6 than the apo-BLG devoid of zinc. In vivo, pre-treatment of mice with dust extract containing BLG resulted in lower allergy symptom scores to BLG and unrelated Bet v 1 than pre-treatment with extract depleted of BLG. These in vitro and in vivo effects were independent of endotoxin..The lipocalin BLG is found in large amounts in cattle urine, accumulates in bovine dust samples and is aerosolized around farms. Its association with zinc favorably shapes the human cellular immune response towards Th1-cytokines in vitro. BLG together with zinc in stable dust protects mice from allergic sensitization. BLG with its associated ligands may in an innate manner contribute to the allergy-protective farm effect.
• Lynch, S. V., & Vercelli, D. (2021). Microbiota, Epigenetics and Trained Immunity: Convergent Drivers and Mediators of the Asthma Trajectory from Pregnancy to Childhood. American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine.
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  The prevalence of allergy and asthma has increased significantly over the past several decades, especially in industrialized nations where environmental exposures and lifestyles have rapidly diverged from those with which humans evolved. Developing effective interventions for precision treatment and prevention of allergy and asthma requires a deeper understanding of their origins and underlying mechanisms. This Perspective proposes a trans-generational framework for future studies that integrates microbiome, immunology, genetics and epigenetics research in human populations and model systems. We suggest that environmental exposures during pregnancy shape maternal microbiomes and immune function, which in turn influence fetal immune and microbiome development in the context of the child's genetic makeup. Relying on epigenetic mechanisms, these interacting influences train the neonate's innate immune system and regulate its ability to respond to the stimuli provided by microbes vertically transmitted from the mother that initially colonize neonatal body habitats. Depending on their composition and functional properties, these pioneer microbes shape immune function which controls the rate and types of exogenous microbes accumulated into these body habitats during the first year of life, thereby determining trajectories of microbiota development, innate and adaptive immune development, and ultimately asthma risk. One critical implication of the framework we propose is that hitherto independent research tracks should converge to determine how very early life microbes in the context of extrinsic and intrinsic factors direct the accumulation of environmental microbes in early life, and how the composition and metabolic capacity of the child's microbiome at various body habitats, shaped by these interacting influences, controls immune development and asthma risk.
• Pivniouk, V., Gimenes-Junior, J. A., Ezeh, P., Michael, A., Pivniouk, O., Hahn, S., VanLinden, S. R., Malone, S. P., Abidov, A., Anderson, D., Gozdz, J., DeVries, A., Martinez, F. D., Pasquali, C., & Vercelli, D. (2021). Airway administration of OM-85, a bacterial lysate, blocks experimental asthma by targeting dendritic cells and the epithelium/IL-33/ILC2 axis. The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology (with Editorial).
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  Microbial interventions against allergic asthma have robust epidemiologic underpinnings and the potential to recalibrate disease-inducing immune responses. Oral administration of OM-85, a standardized lysate of human airways bacteria, is widely used empirically to prevent respiratory infections and a clinical trial is testing its ability to prevent asthma in high-risk children. We previously showed that intranasal administration of microbial products from farm environments abrogates experimental allergic asthma.
• Pivniouk, V., Pivniouk, O., DeVries, A., Uhrlaub, J. L., Michael, A., Pivniouk, D., VanLinden, S. R., Conway, M. Y., Hahn, S., Malone, S. P., Ezeh, P., Churko, J. M., Anderson, D., Kraft, M., Nikolich-Zugich, J., & Vercelli, D. (2021). The OM-85 bacterial lysate inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection of epithelial cells by downregulating SARS-CoV-2 receptor expression. The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology.
  More info

  Treatments for coronavirus disease 2019, which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), are urgently needed but remain limited. SARS-CoV-2 infects cells through interactions of its spike (S) protein with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) on host cells. Multiple cells and organs are targeted, particularly airway epithelial cells. OM-85, a standardized lysate of human airway bacteria with strong immunomodulating properties and an impeccable safety profile, is widely used to prevent recurrent respiratory infections. We found that airway OM-85 administration inhibits Ace2 and Tmprss2 transcription in the mouse lung, suggesting that OM-85 might hinder SARS-CoV-2/host cell interactions.
• Vercelli, D. (2021). Microbiota and human allergic diseases: the company we keep. Current opinion in immunology, 72, 215-220.
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  Environmental, maternal and early life microbial/immune networks program human developmental trajectories and health outcomes and strongly modify allergic disease risk. The effects of environmental microbiota are illustrated by the 'farm effect' (the protection against asthma and allergy conferred by growing up on a traditional farm) and other natural experiments in populations exposed to microbe-rich environments. The role of gut microbiome maturation in the asthma/allergy trajectory is demonstrated by the most recent farm studies, which identified microbial metabolites specifically associated with asthma protection, and studies in other cohorts, which defined dynamic microbial community profiles associated with allergic disease phenotypes. Current and future studies in germ-free mice associated with gut microbiota from human disease states are providing novel mechanistic insights into the role of microbiota in shaping immune function and allergic disease susceptibility.
• Kimura, H., Francisco, D., Conway, M., Martinez, F. D., Vercelli, D., Polverino, F., Billheimer, D., & Kraft, M. (2020). Type 2 inflammation modulates ACE2 and TMPRSS2 in airway epithelial cells. The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology, 146(1), 80-88.e8.
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  Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has dramatically changed our world, country, communities, and families. There is controversy regarding risk factors for severe COVID-19 disease. It has been suggested that asthma and allergy are not highly represented as comorbid conditions associated with COVID-19.
• Morin, A., McKennan, C. G., Pedersen, C. T., Stokholm, J., Chawes, B. L., Malby Schoos, A. M., Naughton, K. A., Thorsen, J., Mortensen, M. S., Vercelli, D., Trivedi, U., Sørensen, S. J., Bisgaard, H., Nicolae, D. L., Bønnelykke, K., & Ober, C. (2020). Epigenetic landscape links upper airway microbiota in infancy with allergic rhinitis at 6 years of age. The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology, 146(6), 1358-1366.
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  The upper airways present a barrier to inhaled allergens and microbes, which alter immune responses and subsequent risk for diseases, such as allergic rhinitis (AR).
• Pivniouk, V., Gimenes Junior, J. A., Honeker, L., & Vercelli, D. (2020). The Role of Innate Immunity in Asthma Development and Protection: Lessons from the Environment. Clinical and Experimental Allergy (Cover), 282-290, 50.
• Hrusch, C. L., Stein, M. M., Gozdz, J., Holbreich, M., von Mutius, E., Vercelli, D., Ober, C., & Sperling, A. I. (2019). T-cell phenotypes are associated with serum IgE levels in Amish and Hutterite children. The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology, 144(5), 1391-1401.e10.
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  Amish children raised on traditional farms have lower atopy and asthma risk than Hutterite children raised on modern farms. In our previous study we established that the Amish environment affects the innate immune response to decrease asthma and atopy risk. Here we investigated T-cell phenotypes in the same Amish and Hutterite children as in our earlier study to elucidate how this altered innate immunity affects adaptive T cells.
• Vercelli, D., & Bleecker, E. R. (2019). Strength in numbers: The quest for asthma genes. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 144(2), 413-415.
• DeVries, A., & Vercelli, D. (2018). Of pleiotropy and trajectories: Does the TGF-β pathway link childhood asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical immunology, 141(6), 1992-1996.
• Rothers, J., Stern, D. A., Lohman, I. C., Spangenberg, A., Wright, A. L., DeVries, A., Vercelli, D., & Halonen, M. (2018). Maternal Cytokine Profiles during Pregnancy Predict Asthma in Children of Mothers without Asthma. American journal of respiratory cell and molecular biology, 59(5), 592-600.
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  Little is known about whether maternal immune status during pregnancy influences asthma development in the child. We measured cytokine production in supernatants from mitogen-stimulated peripheral blood immune cells collected during and after pregnancy from the mothers of children enrolled in the Tucson Infant Immune Study, a nonselected birth cohort. Physician-diagnosed active asthma in children through age 9 and a history of asthma in their mothers were assessed through questionnaires. Maternal production of each of the cytokines IL-13, IL-4, IL-5, IFN-γ, IL-10, and IL-17 during pregnancy was unrelated to childhood asthma. However, IFN-γ/IL-13 and IFN-γ/IL-4 ratios during pregnancy were associated with a decreased risk of childhood asthma (n = 381; odds ratio [OR], 0.33; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.17-0.66; P = 0.002; and n = 368; OR, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.18-0.71; P = 0.003, respectively). The inverse relations of these two ratios with childhood asthma were only evident in mothers without asthma (n = 309; OR, 0.18; 95% CI, 0.08-0.42; P = 0.00007; and n = 299; OR, 0.17; 95% CI, 0.07-0.39; P = 0.00003, respectively) and not in mothers with asthma (n = 72 and 69, respectively; P for interaction by maternal asthma = 0.036 and 0.002, respectively). Paternal cytokine ratios were unrelated to childhood asthma. Maternal cytokine ratios in mothers without asthma were unrelated to the children's skin-test reactivity, total IgE, physician-confirmed allergic rhinitis at age 5, or eczema in infancy. To our knowledge, this study provides the first evidence that cytokine profiles in pregnant mothers without asthma relate to the risk for childhood asthma, but not allergy, and suggests a process of asthma development that begins in utero and is independent of allergy.
• Carr, T. F., Beamer, P. I., Rothers, J., Stern, D. A., Gerald, L. B., Rosales, C. B., Van Horne, Y. O., Pivniouk, O. N., Vercelli, D., Halonen, M., Gameros, M., Martinez, F. D., & Wright, A. L. (2017). Prevalence of Asthma in School Children on the Arizona-Sonora Border. The journal of allergy and clinical immunology. In practice, 5(1), 114-120.e2.
• DeVries, A., & Vercelli, D. (2017). The neonatal methylome as a gatekeeper in the trajectory to childhood asthma. Epigenomics, 9(4), 585-593.
• DeVries, A., Wlasiuk, G., Miller, S. J., Bosco, A., Stern, D. A., Lohman, I. C., Rothers, J., Jones, A. C., Nicodemus-Johnson, J., Vasquez, M. M., Curtin, J. A., Simpson, A., Custovic, A., Jackson, D. J., Gern, J. E., Lemanske, R. F., Guerra, S., Wright, A. L., Ober, C., , Halonen, M., et al. (2017). Epigenome-wide analysis links SMAD3 methylation at birth to asthma in children of asthmatic mothers. The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology, 140(2), 534-542.
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  The timing and mechanisms of asthma inception remain imprecisely defined. Although epigenetic mechanisms likely contribute to asthma pathogenesis, little is known about their role in asthma inception.
• Long, X., Daya, M., Zhao, J., Rafaels, N., Liang, H., Potee, J., Campbell, M., Zhang, B., Araujo, M. I., Oliveira, R. R., Mathias, R. A., Gao, L., Ruczinski, I., Georas, S. N., Vercelli, D., Beaty, T. H., Barnes, K. C., Chen, X., & Chen, Q. (2017). The role of ST2 and ST2 genetic variants in schistosomiasis. The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology, 140(5), 1416-1422.e6.
• Ober, C., Sperling, A. I., von Mutius, E., & Vercelli, D. (2017). Immune development and environment: lessons from Amish and Hutterite children. Current opinion in immunology, 48, 51-60.
• Vercelli, D. (2017). Are We What Our Mothers Made Us? Lessons from Epigenetics. The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology.
• Vercelli, D. (2017). When Innate Responses Matter: ILC2s Loom Large in Allergic Airway Inflammation. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 195(12), 1544-1546. doi:10.1164/rccm.201702-0299ed
• Vercelli, D. (2017). When Innate Responses Matter: ILC2s Loom Large in Allergic Airway Inflammation. American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine, 195(12), 1544-1546.
• DeVries, A., & Vercelli, D. (2016). Epigenetic Mechanisms in Asthma. Annals of the American Thoracic Society, 13 Suppl 1, S48-50.
• Gozdz, J., Holbreich, M., Metwali, N., Thorne, P. S., Sperling, A. I., Martinez, F. D., Ober, C., von Mutius, E., & Vercelli, D. (2016). Amish and Hutterite Environmental Farm Products Have Opposite Effects on Experimental Models of Asthma. Annals of the American Thoracic Society, 13 Suppl 1, S99.
• Gozdz, J., Ober, C., & Vercelli, D. (2016). Innate Immunity and Asthma Risk. The New England journal of medicine, 375(19), 1898-1899.
• Stein, M. M., Hrusch, C. L., Gozdz, J., Igartua, C., Pivniouk, V., Murray, S. E., Ledford, J. G., Marques dos Santos, M., Anderson, R. L., Metwali, N., Neilson, J. W., Maier, R. M., Gilbert, J. A., Holbreich, M., Thorne, P. S., Martinez, F. D., von Mutius, E., Vercelli, D., Ober, C., & Sperling, A. I. (2016). Innate Immunity and Asthma Risk in Amish and Hutterite Farm Children. The New England journal of medicine, 375(5), 411-21.
• Vercelli, D. (2016). A Virtuous Duplicity: 17q21 Variants at the Intersection between Asthma Protection and Risk. American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine, 193(8), 821-2.
• Vercelli, D. (2016). A virtuous duplicity: 17q21 variants at the intersection between asthma protection and risk. Editorial. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med..
• Vercelli, D. (2016). Does epigenetics play a role in human asthma?. Allergol. Int., 65, 123-126.
• Vercelli, D., Mathias, R., Pivniouk, V. I., Rosenbaum, D., Herrell, A., Pivniouk, O., Rafaels, N., & Barnes, K. (2016). Differential regulation of human and mouse IL33 expression in the lungs of human IL33 BAC transgenic mice.. The Journal of Immunology, 196(1_Supplement), 120.2-120.2. doi:10.4049/jimmunol.196.supp.120.2
• Xu, H., Radabaugh, T., Lu, Z., Galligan, M., Billheimer, D., Vercelli, D., Wright, A. L., Monks, T. J., Halonen, M., & Lau, S. S. (2016). Exploration of Early-Life Candidate Biomarkers for Childhood Asthma Using Antibody Arrays. Pediatric Allergy and Immunology.
• DeVries, A., & Vercelli, D. (2015). Early predictors of asthma and allergy in children: the role of epigenetics. Curr. Opin. Allergy Clin. Immunol, 15(5), 435-9.
• DeVries, A., & Vercelli, D. (2015). Epigenetics in allergic diseases. Curr. Opin. Pediatr, 719-23.
• Long, X., Chen, Q., Zhao, J., Rafaels, N., Mathias, P., Liang, H., Potee, J., Campbell, M., Zhang, B., Gao, L., Georas, S. N., Vercelli, D., Beaty, T. H., Ruczinski, I., Mathias, R., Barnes, K. C., & Chen, X. (2015). An IL-13 promoter polymorphism associated with liver fibrosis in patients with Schistosoma japonicum. PloS one, 10(8), e0135360.
• Schaub, B., & Vercelli, D. (2015). Environmental protection from allergic diseases: From humans to mice and back. Curr. Opin. Immunol, 36, 88-93.
• Vercelli, D. (2015). The farm effect and allergic rhinitis. Global Atlas of Allergic Rhinitis and Chronic Rhinosinusitis, European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 101-102.
• Vercelli, D., & Galli, S. J. (2015). Editorial overview: Allergy and hypersensitivity: New developments in allergy and type 2 immunity: never a dull moment. Curr. Opin. Immunol, 36, ix-xi.
• Vercelli, D., Gozdz, J., & von Mutius, E. (2014). Innate lymphoid cells in asthma: when innate immunity comes in a Th2 flavor. Current opinion in allergy and clinical immunology, 14(1), 29-34.
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  Asthma is typically considered as an immunologic Th2 cell-mediated disease, a notion that is still inspiring many therapeutic strategies. In the past years, however, an innate immune cell type has been discovered in mice that resides in the mucosa and secretes the Th2 cytokines IL-13 and IL-5 in response to IL-33 and IL-25 released by a damaged epithelium. These cells [now named group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2s)] are rare, systemically dispersed, long-lived, and exist in humans. Recent work shows that ILC2s are critical for the development of asthma and related phenotypes in mice. Their role in human asthma remains unknown.
• Devries, A., & Vercelli, D. (2013). Epigenetics of human asthma and allergy: promises to keep. Asian Pacific journal of allergy and immunology, 31(3), 183-9.
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  The interest in asthma epigenetics is high because epigenetic mechanisms likely contribute to the environmental origins of the disease and its phenotypic variability. This review presents the main findings of asthma epigenetics and the challenges that still delay progress.
• Lau, S. S., Halonen, M., Vercelli, D., Xu, H., Radabaugh, T., Lu, Z., & Billheimer, D. (2013). Validation of an Early Life Candidate Biomarker for Childhood Asthma. The FASEB Journal, 27(S1). doi:10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.1107.2
• Martinez, F. D., & Vercelli, D. (2013). Asthma. Lancet (London, England), 382(9901), 1360-72.
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  Asthma is a heterogeneous group of conditions that result in recurrent, reversible bronchial obstruction. Although the disease can start at any age, the first symptoms occur during childhood in most cases. Asthma has a strong genetic component, and genome-wide association studies have identified variations in several genes that slightly increase the risk of disease. Asthma is often associated with increased susceptibility to infection with rhinoviruses and with changes in the composition of microbial communities colonising the airways, but whether these changes are a cause or consequence of the disease is unknown. There is currently no proven prevention strategy; however, the finding that exposure to microbial products in early life, particularly in farming environments, seems to be protective against asthma offers hope that surrogates of such exposure could be used to prevent the disease. Genetic and immunological studies point to defective responses of lung resident cells, especially those associated with the mucosal epithelium, as crucial elements in the pathogenesis of asthma. Inhaled corticosteroids continue to be the mainstay for the treatment of mild and moderate asthma, but limited adherence to daily inhaled medication is a major obstacle to the success of such therapy. Severe asthma that is refractory to usual treatment continues to be a challenge, but new biological therapies, such as humanised antibodies against IgE, interleukin 5, and interleukin 13, offer hope to improve the quality of life and long-term prognosis of severe asthmatics with specific molecular phenotypes.
• Lau, S. S., Halonen, M., Vercelli, D., Xu, H., Radabaugh, T., Lu, Z., & Billheimer, D. (2012). Discovery of Early Life Plasma Protein Signatures for Asthma Development. The FASEB Journal, 26(S1). doi:10.1096/fasebj.26.1_supplement.1122.2
• Wlasiuk, G., & Vercelli, D. (2012). The farm effect, or: when, what and how a farming environment protects from asthma and allergic disease. Current opinion in allergy and clinical immunology, 12(5), 461-6.
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  Multiple studies have shown that the prevalence of asthma and atopy is reduced in children raised on traditional dairy farms. This article discusses the temporal constraints for the protective farm effect, the components of a farming environment that are associated with protection, and novel mechanisms that may underlie protection from asthma and atopy in farming populations.
• Mostecki, J., Cassel, S. L., Klimecki, W. T., Stern, D. A., Knisz, J., Iwashita, S., Graves, P., Miller, R. L., van Peer, M., Halonen, M., Martinez, F. D., Vercelli, D., & Rothman, P. B. (2011). A SOCS-1 promoter variant is associated with total serum IgE levels. Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950), 187(5), 2794-802.
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  SOCS-1 is a critical regulator of multiple signaling pathways, including those activated by cytokines that regulate Ig H chain class switching to IgE. Analysis of mice with mutations in the SOCS-1 gene demonstrated that IgE levels increase with loss of SOCS-1 alleles. This suggested that overall SOCS-1 acts as an inhibitor of IgE expression in vivo. A genetic association study was performed in 474 children enrolled in the Tucson Children's Respiratory Study to determine if genetic variation in the SOCS-1 locus correlates with altered levels of IgE. Carriers of the C-allele for a novel, 3' genomic single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the SOCS-1 gene (SOCS1+1125G > C; rs33932899) were found to have significantly lower levels of serum IgE compared with those of homozygotes for the G-allele. Analysis demonstrated that the SOCS1+1125G > C SNP was in complete linkage disequilibrium with an SNP at position SOCS1-820G > T (rs33977706) of the SOCS-1 promoter. Carriers of the T-allele at the SOCS1-820G > T were also found to be associated with the decreased IgE. The promoter SNP increased transcriptional activity of the SOCS-1 promoter in reporter assays and human B cells. Consistent with this observation, the presence of this polymorphism within the promoter abolished binding of yin yang-1, which is identified as a negative regulator of SOCS-1 transcriptional activity. These data suggest that genetic variation in the SOCS-1 promoter may affect IgE production.
• Ober, C., & Vercelli, D. (2011). Gene-environment interactions in human disease: nuisance or opportunity?. Trends in genetics : TIG, 27(3), 107-15.
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  Many environmental risk factors for common, complex human diseases have been revealed by epidemiologic studies, but how genotypes at specific loci modulate individual responses to environmental risk factors is largely unknown. Gene-environment interactions will be missed in genome-wide association studies and could account for some of the 'missing heritability' for these diseases. In this review, we focus on asthma as a model disease for studying gene-environment interactions because of relatively large numbers of candidate gene-environment interactions with asthma risk in the literature. Identifying these interactions using genome-wide approaches poses formidable methodological problems, and elucidating molecular mechanisms for these interactions has been challenging. We suggest that studying gene-environment interactions in animal models, although more tractable, might not be sufficient to shed light on the genetic architecture of human diseases. Lastly, we propose avenues for future studies to find gene-environment interactions.
• Finkelman, F. D., Boyce, J. A., Vercelli, D., & Rothenberg, M. E. (2010). Key advances in mechanisms of asthma, allergy, and immunology in 2009. The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology, 125(2), 312-8.
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  The year 2009 was marked by rapid progress in understanding cellular and chemical mechanisms in the pathogenesis of asthma and other allergic disorders. Studies published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology described advances in our knowledge of signaling molecules and pathways, cytokines, and activation and tolerance in asthma and murine models of this disease; food allergy; anaphylaxis and immediate hypersensitivity; mast cells and their disorders; atopic dermatitis; allergic conjunctivitis; nasal polyposis; and hypereosinophilic syndromes. Additional studies provided novel information about the induction and regulation of allergic inflammation and the genetic determinants of asthma and responsiveness to asthma therapy. Critical features of these studies and their potential effect on human atopic disorders are summarized here.
• Kiesler, P., Haynes, P. A., Shi, L., Kao, P. N., Wysocki, V. H., & Vercelli, D. (2010). NF45 and NF90 regulate HS4-dependent interleukin-13 transcription in T cells. The Journal of biological chemistry, 285(11), 8256-67.
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  Expression of the cytokine interleukin-13 (IL13) is critical for Th2 immune responses and Th2-mediated allergic diseases. Activation of human IL13 expression involves chromatin remodeling and formation of multiple DNase I-hypersensitive sites throughout the locus. Among these, HS4 is detected in the distal IL13 promoter in both naive and polarized CD4(+) T cells. We show herein that HS4 acts as a position-independent, orientation-dependent positive regulator of IL13 proximal promoter activity in transiently transfected, activated human CD4(+) Jurkat T cells and primary murine Th2 cells. The 3'-half of HS4 (HS4-3') was responsible for IL13 up-regulation and bound nuclear factor (NF) 90 and NF45, as demonstrated by DNA affinity chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry, chromatin immunoprecipitation, and gel shift analysis. Notably, the CTGTT NF45/NF90-binding motif within HS4-3' was critical for HS4-dependent up-regulation of IL13 expression. Moreover, transfection of HS4-IL13 reporter vectors into primary, in vitro differentiated Th2 cells from wild-type, NF45(+/-), or NF90(+/-) mice showed that HS4 activity was exquisitely dependent on the levels of endogenous NF45 (and to a lesser degree NF90), because HS4-dependent IL13 expression was virtually abrogated in NF45(+/-) cells and reduced in NF90(+/-) cells. Collectively, our results identify NF45 and NF90 as novel regulators of HS4-dependent human IL13 transcription in response to T cell activation.
• Maier, R. M., Palmer, M. W., Andersen, G. L., Halonen, M. J., Josephson, K. C., Maier, R. S., Martinez, F. D., Neilson, J. W., Stern, D. A., Vercelli, D., & Wright, A. L. (2010). Environmental determinants of and impact on childhood asthma by the bacterial community in household dust. Applied and environmental microbiology, 76(8), 2663-7.
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  Asthma increased dramatically in the last decades of the 20th century and is representative of chronic diseases that have been linked to altered microbial exposure and immune responses. Here we evaluate the effects of environmental exposures typically associated with asthma protection or risk on the microbial community structure of household dust (dogs, cats, and day care). PCR-denaturing gradient gel analysis (PCR-DGGE) demonstrated that the bacterial community structure in house dust is significantly impacted by the presence of dogs or cats in the home (P = 0.0190 and 0.0029, respectively) and by whether or not children attend day care (P = 0.0037). In addition, significant differences in the dust bacterial community were associated with asthma outcomes in young children, including wheezing (P = 0.0103) and specific IgE (P = 0.0184). Our findings suggest that specific bacterial populations within the community are associated with either risk or protection from asthma.
• Strempel, J. M., Grenningloh, R., Ho, I., & Vercelli, D. (2010). Phylogenetic and functional analysis identifies Ets-1 as a novel regulator of the Th2 cytokine gene locus. Journal of immunology (Baltimore, Md. : 1950), 184(3), 1309-16.
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  The Th2 cytokine gene locus has emerged as a remarkable example of coordinated gene expression, the regulation of which seems to be rooted in an extensive array of cis-regulatory regions. Using a hypothesis-generating computational approach that integrated multispecies (n = 11) sequence comparisons with algorithm-based transcription factor binding-site predictions, we sought to identify evolutionarily conserved noncoding regions (ECRs) and motifs shared among them, which may underlie coregulation. Twenty-two transcription factor families were predicted to have binding sites in at least two Th2 ECRs. The ranking of these shared motifs according to their distribution and relative frequency pointed to a regulatory hierarchy among the transcription factor families. GATA sites were the most prevalent and widely distributed, consistent with the known role of GATA3 as a Th2 master switch. Unexpectedly, sites for ETS-domain proteins were also predicted within several Th2 ECRs and the majority of these sites were found to support Ets-1 binding in vitro and in vivo. Of note, the expression of all three Th2 cytokines (IL-5, -13, and -4) was significantly and selectively decreased in Th2 cells generated from Ets-1-deficient mice. Collectively, these data suggest that Ets-1 contributes to Th2 cytokine gene regulation by interacting with multiple cis-regulatory regions throughout the Th2 locus.
• Vercelli, D. (2010). Gene-environment interactions in asthma and allergy: the end of the beginning?. Current opinion in allergy and clinical immunology, 10(2), 145-8.
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  The pathogenesis of asthma and allergy typically involves not only distinct genetic and environmental factors, but also interactions between the two. Innate-immunity genes [particularly CD14, toll-like receptor (TLR)4 and TLR2, the critical mediators of responses to bacteria in the extracellular space] play a prominent role in gene-environment interactions relevant to asthma-related phenotypes because the interaction between microbial load and the innate-immune system is a critical determinant of both immune function and allergy/asthma susceptibility. This review presents recent findings illustrating the role of gene-environment interactions in asthma/allergy susceptibility.
• Vercelli, D. (2010). Genetics and biology of asthma 2010: La' ci darem la mano... The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology, 125(2), 347-8.
• Vercelli, D., Pivniouk, V., Bailey, T., Pivniouk, O., Kiesler, P., Wlasiuk, G., Rosenbaum, D., Kim, K., Strempel, J., & Daines, M. (2010). Faithful epigenetic and transcriptional regulation of a transgenic human Th2 cytokine gene locus in the murine nuclear environment (51.1). The Journal of Immunology, 184(1_Supplement), 51.1-51.1. doi:10.4049/jimmunol.184.supp.51.1
• von Mutius, E., & Vercelli, D. (2010). Farm living: effects on childhood asthma and allergy. Nature reviews. Immunology, 10(12), 861-8.
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  Numerous epidemiological studies have shown that children who grow up on traditional farms are protected from asthma, hay fever and allergic sensitization. Early-life contact with livestock and their fodder, and consumption of unprocessed cow's milk have been identified as the most effective protective exposures. Studies of the immunobiology of farm living point to activation and modulation of innate and adaptive immune responses by intense microbial exposures and possibly xenogeneic signals delivered before or soon after birth.
• Kiesler, P., Shakya, A., Tantin, D., & Vercelli, D. (2009). An allergy-associated polymorphism in a novel regulatory element enhances IL13 expression. Human molecular genetics, 18(23), 4513-20.
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  IL-13 is a central effector of Th2-mediated allergic inflammation and is critical for the induction of IgE synthesis. Common IL13 variants are associated with allergy phenotypes in populations of distinct ethnic background. We recently demonstrated that IL13 expression by human CD4+ T cells is paralleled by extensive IL13 locus remodeling, which results in the appearance of multiple DNase I hypersensitive sites. Among these, HS4 in the distal promoter is constitutive in both naïve and polarized Th1 and Th2 cells, and spans a common single nucleotide polymorphism, IL13-1512A>C (rs1881457), strongly associated with total serum IgE levels. We recently characterized HS4 as a novel cis-acting element that upregulates IL13 transcription in activated human and murine T cells. Here we show that IL13-1512A>C is a functional polymorphism that significantly enhances HS4-dependent IL13 expression by creating a binding site for the transcription factor Oct-1. Of note, endogenous Oct-1 was preferentially recruited to the IL13-1512C risk allele in primary CD4+ T cells from IL13-1512A>C heterozygous subjects. Moreover, the IL13-1512C allele was overexpressed in transfected Th2 cells from Oct1(+/+) mice, but not from Oct1(+/-) mice, demonstrating that increased activity was exquisitely dependent on physiologic levels of Oct-1. Our results illustrate how a functional variant in a regulatory element enhances transcription of an allergy-associated gene, thereby modulating disease susceptibility.
• Vercelli, D. (2009). Of flaky tails and itchy skin. Nature genetics.
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  A new study defines the flaky tail mouse as a model for human atopic dermatitis caused by a null mutation in the gene encoding filaggrin, a key component of the epidermal barrier. Research in these mice will help explain how a disrupted barrier contributes to the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis and to asthma arising in the context of atopic skin disease.
• Vercelli, D., Strempel, J. M., Grenningloh, R., & Ho, I. (2009). Phylogenetic and Functional Analysis Identifies Ets-1 as a Novel Regulator of the Th2 Cytokine Gene Locus. The Journal of Immunology, 184(3), 1309-1316. doi:10.4049/jimmunol.0804162
• Vercelli, D. (2008). Advances in asthma and allergy genetics in 2007. The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology, 122(2), 267-71.
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  This review discusses the main advances in the genetics of asthma and allergy published in the Journal in 2007. The association studies discussed herein addressed 3 main topics: the effect of the environment and gene-environment interactions on asthma/allergy susceptibility, the contribution of T(H)2 immunity gene variants to allergic inflammation, and the role of filaggrin mutations in atopic dermatitis and associated phenotypes. Other articles revealed novel, potentially important candidate genes or confirmed known ones. Collectively, the works published in 2007 reiterate that allergy and asthma are typical complex diseases; that is, they are disorders in which intricate interactions among environmental and genetic factors modify disease susceptibility by altering the fundamental structural and functional properties of target organs at critical developmental windows.
• Vercelli, D. (2008). Discovering susceptibility genes for asthma and allergy. Nature reviews. Immunology, 8(3), 169-82.
  More info

  Asthma and asthma-related traits are complex diseases with strong genetic and environmental components. Rapid progress in asthma genetics has led to the identification of several candidate genes that are associated with asthma-related traits. Typically the phenotypic impact of each of these genes, including the ones most often replicated in association studies, is mild, but larger effects may occur when multiple variants synergize within a permissive environmental context. Despite the achievements made in asthma genetics formidable challenges remain. The development of novel, powerful tools for gene discovery, and a closer integration of genetics and biology, should help to overcome these challenges.
• Vercelli, D., Strempel, J. M., Grenningloh, R., & Ho, I. (2008). Phylogenetic and Functional Analyses Identify Ets‐1 as an Important Regulator of the Th2 Cytokine Gene Locus. The FASEB Journal, 22(S1). doi:10.1096/fasebj.22.1_supplement.850.7
• Vercelli, D., Wysocki, V., Kiesler, P., Haynes, P., Shi, L., & Kao, P. (2008). NF90 and NF45 Regulate Interleukin‐13 (IL13) Gene Transcription in Human T Cells. The FASEB Journal, 22(S1). doi:10.1096/fasebj.22.1_supplement.850.13

Proceedings Publications

• Kraft, M., Vercelli, D., Pivniouk, V., Kimura, H., Francisco, D., Conway, M., & Molzahn, A. (2022). Type-2 Cytokine Mitigates Inflammatory Response to SARS-CoV-2. In American Thoracic Society.
• Vercelli, D., Nikolich-Zugich, J., Anderson, D., Churko, J., Conway, M., Michael, A., DeVries, A., Pivniouk, V., Pivniouk, O., Uhrlaub, J., Pivniouk, D., VanLinden, S., Hahn, S., Malone, S., Ezeh, P., & Kraft, M. (2022). The OM-85 Bacterial Lysate Inhibits SARS-CoV-2 Infection of Epithelial Cells by Downregulating SARS-CoV-2 Receptor Expression. In American Thoracic Society.
• Pivniouk, V. I., Vercelli, D., Pivniouk, V. I., Pivniouk, O., Pasquali, C., Michael, A. N., Jr, J. A., Gozdz, J., Gimenes, J. A., Ezeh, P., Devries, A., & Abidov, A. (2020). Intra-Nasal Administration of the OM-85 Bacterial Lysate Strongly Protects from Experimental Asthma by Targeting Multiple Innate and Adaptive Immune Processes. In A21. AIRWAY IMMUNOLOGY.
• Pivniouk, V. I., Rosenbaum, D., Aryanpur, P., Pivniouk, O., Stern, D., Halonen, M., & Vercelli, D. (2013, January). Asthma/allergy-associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in IL13 strongly dysregulate human IL4 expression and IgE production. In Keystone Symposium: Type 2 Immunity: Initiation, Maintenance, Homeostasis and Pathology.

Presentations

• Vercelli, D. (2021). An Update from the University of Arizona: Airway Administration of OM-85 Blocks Experimental Asthma by Targeting Dendritic Cells and the Epithelium/IL-33/ILC2 Axis.. Expert Panel, OM Pharma, Geneva, Switzerland.
• Vercelli, D. (2021). Epithelial Barrier Function and Microbial Exposures in Asthma. Asthma and Airway Disease Cooperative Research Centers Virtual Conference, NIH/NIAIDNIH/NIAID.
• Vercelli, D. (2021). Microbiome and Allergic Disease. 24th Meeting of the Department of Allergology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy (virtual).
• Vercelli, D. (2021). The Hygiene Hypothesis in 2021 – and Beyond.. 5th Conference of the Chinese College of Allergy and Asthma (CCAA 2021) (virtual).
• Vercelli, D. (2021, February). The Hygiene Hypothesis: Where Do We Stand in 2021?. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Virtual Annual MeetingAmerican Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
• Vercelli, D. (2021, January). The BEAMS Program Project. Southwest Environmental Health Science Center, University of Arizona.
• Vercelli, D. (2020, August). COVID-19 Research in the Vercelli Lab. Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Arizona. The University of Arizona.
• Vercelli, D. (2020, February). Role of Gut Microbiota in Asthma Pathogenesis. Gut Group, The University of Arizona.
• Vercelli, D. (2020, February). Unlocking the Secrets of the Microbiome. The Eva M. Holtby Endowed Keynote Address. 2020 Living Healthy with Arthritis Conference, Arthritis Center. The University of Arizona.
• Vercelli, D. (2020, January). Disease and the Environment: How Growing up on a Farm Protects from Asthma. AZ-PRIDE Program, University of Arizona.
• Vercelli, D. (2020, November). Microbiota, Epigenetics and Trained Immunity in the Trajectory from Pregnancy to Childhood Asthma. Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, University of Arizona.
• Vercelli, D. (2020, November). Role of Innate Immunity in Asthma. Keynote Address. DAM XXIII, 23rd Meeting of the Department of Allergology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy,.
• Vercelli, D. (2020, October). Allergies, Microbes and Epigenetics. Alpha Epsilon Delta Pre-Health, The University of Arizona.
• Vercelli, D. (2020, October). La' ci darem la mano: Environmental and gut microbiomes converge to promote health or disease. NYC Urban Soils Institute, 5th Annual Symposium, Keynote Address.
• Honeker, L. K., Sharma, A., Gozdz, J., Theriault, B., Patil, K., Gimenes, Jr, J. A., Horner, A. N., Pivniouk, V. I., Igartua, C., Stein, M. M., Holbreich, M., von Mutius, E., Ober, C., Gilbert, J. A., & Vercelli, D. (2019, May 17-22). Gut microbiota from Amish but not Hutterite pre-school children protect germ-free mice from experimental asthma. International Conference, American Thoracic Society. Dallas, TX.
• Vercelli, D. (2019, February 13). Learning from the Environment How to Prevent Asthma. Research Day, University of Arizona. Tucson, AZ.
• Vercelli, D. (2019, February 23). Not All Eosinophils Are Created Equal. The 2019 Rebecca Buckley Lecture.. Annual Meeting, American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. San Francisco, CA.
• Vercelli, D. (2019, January 21, 2019). Can Microbes Protect from Asthma? Studies with Amish and Hutterite Gut Microbiota.. Annual Meeting, Western Society of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Maui, HI.
• Vercelli, D. (2019, January 23). Epigenetics of Asthma: Can We Predict Childhood Disease at Birth or Even Earlier?. Annual Meeting, Western Society of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Maui, HI.
• Vercelli, D. (2019, July 10). Microbiota and Asthma. FASEB Science Research Conference, IgE and Allergy: From Mechanisms to Therapy. Scottsdale, AZ.
• Vercelli, D. (2019, June 18). Intra-nasal administration of OM-85 abrogates experimental allergic asthma. VIFOR/ Istituto per la Ricerca Biologica meeting. Bellizona, Switzerland.
• Vercelli, D. (2019, June 19). Microbiota and Asthma Protection. Istituto per la Ricerca Biologica. Bellizona, Switzerland.
• Vercelli, D. (2019, June 6). Gut Microbiota and Asthma Protection: Lessons from Gnotobiotic Mice.. Division of Immunology, Children’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Boston, MA.
• Vercelli, D. (2019, March 18). OM-85 Studies at the University of Arizona. VIFOR OM-Pharma. Geneva, Switzerland.
• Vercelli, D. (2019, November 13). Environmental Mechanisms of Asthma Protection. Department of Environmental Health, Harvard School of Public Health. Boston, MA.
• Vercelli, D. (2019, October 18). The Impact of Different Lifestyle Conditions on Asthma and Allergy Development. EAACI Pediatric Asthma and Allergy Meeting (PAAM). Florence, Italy.
• Vercelli, D. (2019, October 9). The Immunology of IgE. Novartis Preceptorship, Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, University of Arizona. Tucson, AZ.
• Vercelli, D. (2019, September 24). Leveraging Gut Microbiota for Asthma Protection. Grand Rounds, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Oklahoma. Oklahoma City, OK.
• Vercelli, D. (2018, August 21). Understanding IL-4/IL-13 Function. Invited talk, Sanofi Preceptorship - Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center, University of Arizona. Tucson, AZ.
• Vercelli, D. (2018, July 23). How Exposure to an Amish Environment Affects Immune Responses and Asthma Pathogenesis. State-of-the-Art Speaker, 36th Aspen Allergy Conference. Aspen, CO.
• Vercelli, D. (2018, June 1). Understanding Asthma Protection and Risk: Studies in Gnotobiotic Mice. Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood Collaborative Symposium, “Prenatal Origins of Asthma”. Copenhagen, Denmark.
• Vercelli, D. (2018, June 25). OM-85 Studies at the University of Arizona. VIFOR OM-Pharma. Geneva, Switzerland.
• Vercelli, D. (2018, March 2). From Mom to Baby: Epigenetics and the Risk for Childhood Asthma. Invited Lecture, American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology/World Allergy Organization Joint Congress. Orlando, FL.
• Vercelli, D. (2018, March 2). The Microbiome: A Target for Atopy (and Asthma) Prevention. Invited Lecture, American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology/World Allergy Organization Joint Congress. Orlando, FL.
• Vercelli, D. (2018, May 28). Influencing Innate Immunity: Ways to Make It Work. Plenary Session, European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Congress 2018. Munich, Germany.
• Vercelli, D. (2018, May 5). The Molecular Genomics Landscape at the Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center. Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center Annual Retreat. Tucson, AZ.
• Vercelli, D. (2018, November 13). Are We What Our Mothers Made Us? Epigenetics Trajectories to Childhood Asthma. Invited talk, Transgenerational Epigenetics in Allergy Workshop, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Rockville, MD.
• Vercelli, D. (2018, October 1). Transplant of Amish but not Hutterite Gut Microbiota is Sufficient to Protect Germ-Free Mice from Experimental Asthma. Invited talk, 32nd Symposium, Collegium Internationale Allergologicum. Palma de Mallorca, Spain.
• Vercelli, D. (2018, October 17). Epigenetics Trajectories to Childhood Asthma: Are We What Our Mothers Made Us?. Genetics and Genomics Grand Rounds, Center for Applied Genetics and Genomic Medicine, University of Arizona. Tucson, AZ.
• Vercelli, D. (2018, October 19). Leveraging Epigenetic Data to Understand the Asthma Trajectory. Invited talk, Severe Asthma 2018: Advances in Pathogenesis and Treatment, Yale School of Medicine & Yale Center for Asthma and Airway Diseases, Yale University. New Haven, CT.
• Vercelli, D. (2017, April). Environmental Modulation of Allergic Inflammation: The Amish Paradigm. Keynote Address, 30th National Meeting, Italian Society of Allergology, Asthma and Clinical Immunology (SIAAIC).
• Vercelli, D. (2017, April). Epigenetics and the Human Asthma/COPD Continuum: A Tale of Trajectories. Presidential Symposium, International Conference, American Thoracic Society.
• Vercelli, D. (2017, April). Innate Immunity and Asthma Risk in Amish and Hutterite Farm Children. Selected CR Forum Top Ten Clinical Research Achievement Awardee Presentation, Translational Science 2017.
• Vercelli, D. (2017, December). Environmental Protection from Allergic Diseases: Lessons from Gnotobiotic Mice. Allergy and Pulmonology Research Group, Ludwig-Maximilian University, Munich, Germany.
• Vercelli, D. (2017, December). Regulatory Properties of OM-85: Present Evidence and Future Perspectives. Experts Workshop on Immunomodulation with OM-85, Rome.
• Vercelli, D. (2017, January). What the Neonatal Methylome Tells Us about the Trajectory to Childhood Asthma. Biweekly Research Conference, The Asthma and Airway Disease Research CenterUniversity of Arizona.
• Vercelli, D. (2017, June). Early Life Candidate Biomarkers in Childhood Asthma. Invited Lecture, World Allergy Organization/Japanese Society of Allergology Symposium, The 66th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Allergology.
• Vercelli, D. (2017, March). Translating Asthma: From Genotype to Phenotype to Endotype. Annual Meeting, American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
• Vercelli, D. (2017, November). Environmental Protection from Allergic Diseases: From Humans to Mice and Back. 26th Johns Hopkins Asthma and Allergy Center Fall Symposium, Johns Hopkins Asthma and Allergy Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
• Vercelli, D. (2017, November). Epigenetics of Asthma and Allergic Disease. DAM XX, 20th Meeting of the Department of Allergology, University of Milan, Milan, Italy.
• Vercelli, D. (2017, November). How the Environment Protects from Asthma: Studies in Gnotobiotic Mice. Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center Retreat, University of Arizona.
• Vercelli, D. (2017, November). How the Environment Protects from Asthma: Studies in Gnotobiotic Mice. Short Seminar, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Arizona.
• Vercelli, D. (2017, October). How the Environment Protects from Asthma and Allergy. Allergy and Immunology Division, Northwestern University.
• Vercelli, D. (2017, October). Learning from the environment how to prevent asthma. 50th Anniversary Innovations and Inventions Research Fair, College of Medicine, University of Arizona.
• Vercelli, D. (2017, October). OM-85 Studies at the University of Arizona. VIFOR-OM Pharma. Zurich.
• Vercelli, D. (2017, October). We are (fortunately) not alone: The microbiome, immunity and health – A personal account. The University of Arizona Osher Life-Long Learning Institute (OLLI).
• Vercelli, D. (2016, April). Environmental Protection from Asthma and Allergy: From Humans to Mice and Back. 31st Symposium, Collegium Internationale Allergologicum, Charleston, SC.
• Vercelli, D. (2016, April). How the Genome, the Epigenome and the Environment Shape the Trajectory to Childhood Asthma. Inaugural Symposium, The Center for Applied Genetics and Genomic MedicineThe University of Arizona.
• Vercelli, D. (2016, July). How the Environment Protects from Allergy and Asthma: From Humans to Mice and Back. FASEB Science Research Conference, “IgE and Allergy: 50 Years and Onward”, West Palm Beach, FL.
• Vercelli, D. (2016, March). A Colloquium on Language and Genetics: A conversation with Noam Chomsky. Workshop, The University of Arizona.
• Vercelli, D. (2016, March). Epigenetics in Asthma. 2016 Annual Meeting, American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
• Vercelli, D. (2016, March). How the environment protects from allergic inflammation. 18th Meakins-Christie Laboratory Symposium: "Asthma and COPD", Montreal, Canada.
• Vercelli, D. (2016, March). How the environment protects from allergic inflammation. Frontiers in Immunobiology & Immunopathogenesis SymposiumUniversity of Arizona, Tucson, AZ.
• Vercelli, D. (2016, October). Epigenetic Mechanisms of Asthma Inception. The Philip Fireman Lecture. The 11th International Nemacolin Asthma Conference, Nemacolin, PA.
• Vercelli, D. (2016, September). An Epigenetic Trajectory from Birth to Childhood Asthma. Copenhagen Prospective Studies on Asthma in Childhood (COPSAC) Collaborative Symposium, “Prenatal Origins of Asthma”, Copenhagen, Denmark.
• Vercelli, D. (2015, April). Environmental Mechanisms of Allergy Protection: Studies in Humans and Mice. Department of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy. Florence, Italy: Department of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
• Vercelli, D. (2015, April). When and How the Environment Protects from Asthma: Studies in Humans and Mice. NIEHS Center Directors Meeting, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ. University of Arizona: University of Arizona.
• Vercelli, D. (2015, June). Epigenetic Mechanisms in Asthma - The Gilles Filley Lecture. Thomas L. Petty Aspen Lung Conference, 58th Annual Meeting, Aspen, CO. Aspen, CO: University of Colorado.
• Vercelli, D. (2015, June). How The Environment and Its Microbes Protect From Asthma And Allergy: Studies in US Farming Population. Human Microbiome and Disease, Milan, Italy. Milan, Italy: University of Milan, Milan, italy.
• Vercelli, D. (2015, June). How the Environment Protects from Allergic Lung Inflammation. Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi, University of Milan, Milan, Itay. Istituto Nazionale di Genetica Molecolare Romeo ed Enrica Invernizzi: University of Milan, Milan, italy.
• Vercelli, D. (2015, June). Neonatal Epigenetic Predictors of Childhood Asthma. Society for In Vitro Biology, Annual Meeting, Tucson, AZ. Tucson, AZ: Society for In Vitro Biology.
• Vercelli, D. (2015, June). Sensing the Environment. European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Congress, Barcelona, Spain. Barcelona, Spain: European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
• Vercelli, D. (2017, June). The Pathogenesis of Childhood Asthma: Lessons from the Environment. Invited Lecture, The 66th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Allergology. Tokyo.

Poster Presentations

• Vercelli, D., Pasquali, C., DeVries, A., Gozdz, J., Abidov, A., Pivniouk, O., Michael, A. N., Ezeh, P., Gimenes, Jr, J. A., & Pivniouk, V. I. (2020, May 15-20). Intra-nasal administration of the OM-85 bacterial lysate strongly protects from experimental asthma by targeting multiple innate and adaptive immune processes. International Conference, American Thoracic Society. Philadelphia, PA.
• Morin, A., McKennan, C., Thorsen, J., Stokholm, J., Chawes, B., Schoos, A., Naughton, K., Pedersen, C., Vercelli, D., Nicolae, D., Bonnelykke, K., Bisgaard, H., & Ober, C. (2019, October 15-19). Upper airway microbiota diversity in infancy is associated with nasal mucosa DNA methylation patterns and allergic rhinitis at 6 years of age. American Society of Human Genetics 2019 Annual Meeting. Houston, TX.
• Roth-Walter, F., al., e., Vercelli, D., von Mutius, E., & Jensen-Jarolim, E. (2019, June 1-6). Beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) accumulates in stable dust associated with zinc: potential implications for the allergy- and asthma-protective effect. European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2019 Annual Meeting. Lisbon, Portugal.
• A., M., C., M., K., N., D., N., Vercelli, D., K., B., H., B., & C., O. (2018, October 16-20). DNA methylation in nasal epithelial cells and sensitization to aeroallergens. Annual Meeting, American Society for Human Genetics. San Diego, CA.
• Roth-Walter, F., al., e., Vercelli, D., von Mutius, E., & Jensen-Jarolim, E. (2018, December 6-9). Beta-lactoglobulin is present in cow stable dust and with its ligands prevent allergic sensitization and symptoms in mice. Implications for the allergy protective farm effect?. World Allergy Organization International Scientific Conference. Florence, Italy.
• DeVries, A., Stern, D., Wright, A. L., Halonen, M., & Vercelli, D. (2017, May). Neonatal DNA methylation profiles are associated with the maternal prenatal immune milieu selectively in children with non-asthmatic mothers.. International Conference, American Thoracic Society. Washington, DC.
• Pali-Schoell, I., Roth Walter, F., Hofstetter, G., Hann, S., Ahlers, S., Moussa-Afify, S., Wittek, T., Vercelli, D., von Mutius, E., & Jensen-Jarolim, E. (2017, June). The lipocalin beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) accumulates in stable dust: potential implications for the allergy- and asthma-protective effect.. European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2017.
• Pali-Schoell, I., Roth Walter, F., Hofstetter, G., Hann, S., Ahlers, S., Moussa-Afify, S., Wittek, T., Vercelli, D., von Mutius, E., & Jensen-Jarolim, E. (2017, November). Identification of the cows’ milk protein beta-lactoglobulin in stable dust: potential implications for the allergy- and asthma-protective effect. Annual Meeting, Austrian Society of Allergology and Immunology.
• Carr, T. F., Beamer, P. I., Rothers, J., Stern, D. A., Gerald, L. B., Rosales, C. B., Van Horne, Y. O., Pivniouk, O. N., Vercelli, D., Halonen, M., Gameros, M., Martinez, F. D., & Wright, A. L. (2016, May). Prevalence of asthma in adolescents across the Arizona-Sonora border using ISAAC written and video questionnaires. International Conference, American Thoracic Society, San Francisco, CA.
• DeVries, A., Wlasiuk, G., Miller, S., Bosco, A., Stern, D., Lohman, I. C., Rothers, J. L., Jones, A., Nicodemus-Johnson, J., Curtin, J., Simpson, A., Custovic, A., Jackson, D., Gern, J., Lemanske, R., Guerra, S., Wright, A. L., Ober, C., Halonen, M., & Vercelli, D. (2016, Spring). Neonatal SMAD3 promoter hypermethylation predicts asthma in children of asthmatic mothers from three birth cohorts. International Conference, American Thoracic Society, San Francisco, CA.
• Hrsuch, C., Stein, M., Gozdz, J., Holbreich, M., von Mutius, E., Vercelli, D., Ober, C., & Sperling, A. (2016, November). Monocyte and Treg phenotypes in two U.S. farming populations mirror differential asthma and atopy risk: Studies in Amish and Hutterite children. Autumn Immunology Conference, Chicago, IL.
• Pivniouk, V. I., Rosenbaum, D., Herrell, A., Pivniouk, O., Rafaels, N., Mathias, R., Barnes, K., & Vercelli, D. (2016, May). Differential regulation of human and mouse IL33 expression in the lungs of human IL33 BAC transgenic mice.. AAI Annual Meeting - Immunology 2016.
• Pivniouk, V. I., Rosenbaum, D., Pivniouk, O., & Vercelli, D. (2016, May). Downregulation of human IL4 and IL13 expression by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated deletion of DNase I hypersensitive site HS11/12 from a transgenic human Th2 cytokine locus. AAI Annual Meeting - Immunology 2016.
• DeVries, A., Wlasiuk, G., Miller, S., Bosco, A., Stern, D., Nicodemus-Johnson, J., Jones, A., Rothers, J. L., Lohman, I. C., Wright, A. L., Ober, C., Halonen, M., & Vercelli, D. (2015, Spring). Neonatal epigenetic predictors of childhood asthma map to immunoregulatory and pro-inflammatory pathways. International Conference, American Thoracic Society.
• Gozdz, J., Holbreich, M., Metwali, N., Thorne, P., Sperling, A., Martinez, F., Ober, C., von Mutius, E., & Vercelli, D. (2015, Spring). Opposite effects of farming on asthma: mice exposed to Amish and Hutterite environmental products recapitulate asthma protection and risk. International Conference, American Thoracic Society. Denver, CO: American Thoracic Society.
• Hrusch, C., Stein, M., Igartua, C., Holbreich, M., Thorne, P., Vercelli, D., von Mutius, E., Ober, C., & Sperling, A. (2015, May). Differences in immune regulatory phenotypes in two U.S. farming populations mirror differential asthma and atopy risk: Studies in Amish and Hutterite school children. International Conference, American Thoracic Society. Denver, CO: American Thoracic Society.
• Kranch, R., Stern, D., Wright, A. L., Lohman, I. C., Spangenberg, A., Vercelli, D., Winzerling, J. J., Wilhelm, M. S., & Halonen, M. (2015, Spring). Temporal patterns of early life food-specific IgE and their relation to asthma, eczema, and allergic rhinitis at age 5. Frontiers in Immunobiology & Immunopathogenesis Symposium. University of Arizona.
• Stein, M., Hrusch, C., Igartua, C., Anderson, R., Metwali, N., Holbreich, M., Thorne, P., von Mutius, E., Vercelli, D., Sperling, A., & Ober, C. (2015, October). Dissecting genetic and environmental contributors to asthma and allergy in two founder populations. American Society for Human Genetics 2015 Annual Meeting. Baltimore, MD: American Society for Human Genetics.

Others

• Vercelli, D. (2009). Gene-environment interactions: the road less traveled by in asthma genetics. The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology.