BACKGROUND: Asthma is a complex disease involving gene and environment interactions.
Although atopy is a strong predisposing risk factor for asthma, local tissue susceptibilities
are required for disease expression. The bronchial epithelium forms the interface with the
external environment and is pivotally involved in controlling tissue homeostasis through
provision of a physical barrier controlled by tight junction (TJ) complexes. OBJECTIVES: To
explain the link between environment exposures and airway vulnerability, we hypothesized …