FIGURE 4.

The influence of microRNAs in epithelial barrier function. This overview illustrates miRNAs that are differentially expressed in asthma and could contribute to epithelial barrier dysfunction in asthma. miRNAs coloured in red with upward arrow are upregulated in asthma, and miRNAs coloured in blue with downward arrow are downregulated in asthma. miRNAs with an underscore were measured in bronchial epithelial cells, and miRNAs in italic were measured in sputum or blood from asthma patients and controls. Black lines ending with a perpendicular line indicate inhibitory effects, and black lines ending with an arrow indicate a stimulatory effect. Full lines indicate direct effects, and half‐full lines indicate indirect effects. EMT, epithelial‐mesenchymal transition; LPS, lipopolysaccharide; SIRT‐1, Sirtuin 1; SPDEF, SAM Pointed Domain Containing ETS Transcription Factor; TGF‐β1, Transforming Growth Factor Beta 1; TGFBR1, Transforming Growth Factor Beta Receptor 1