Asthma, a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airway, is influenced by interplay between
genetic and environmental factors now known to be mediated by epigenetics. Aberrant DNA
methylation, altered histone modifications, specific microRNA expression, and other
chromatin alterations orchestrate a complex early-life reprogramming of immune T-cell
response, dendritic cell function, macrophage activation, and a breach of airway epithelial
barrier that dictates asthma risk and severity in later life. Adult-onset asthma is under …