# Clinical significance and potential pathogenesis of VCAN in adult non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis: a retrospective study

## TL;DR

This study explores how VCAN contributes to bronchiectasis by increasing neutrophil migration, offering new insights into its pathogenesis.

## Contribution

The study identifies VCAN as a potential contributor to bronchiectasis through its role in promoting neutrophil migration.

## Key findings

- VCAN expression is significantly upregulated in bronchiectasis patients compared to controls.
- Exogenous VCAN protein induces neutrophil migration, suggesting a role in disease progression.

## Abstract

The pathogenesis of adult non-cystic fibrosis (CF) bronchiectasis is complex, and the relevant molecular mechanism remains ambiguous. Versican (VCAN) is a key factor in inflammation through interactions with adhesion molecules. This study constructs a stable panoramic map of mRNA, reveals the possible pathogenesis of bronchiectasis, and provides new ideas and methods for bronchiectasis.

Peripheral blood and tissue gene expression data from patients with bronchiectasis and normal control were selected by bioinformatics analysis. The expression of VCAN in peripheral blood and bronchial tissues of bronchiectasis were obtained by transcriptome sequencing. The protein expression levels of VCAN in serums were verified by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The mRNA expression levels of VCAN in co-culture of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and bronchial epithelial cells were verified by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). In addition, the biological function of VCAN was detected by the transwell assay.

The expression of VCAN was upregulated in the bronchiectasis group by sequencing analysis (P < 0.001). The expression of VCAN in the bronchial epithelial cell line BEAS-2B was increased in P. aeruginosa (P.a), which was co-cultured with BEAS-2B cells (P < 0.05). The concentration of VCAN protein in the serum of patients with bronchiectasis was higher than that in the normal control group (P < 0.05). Transwell experiments showed that exogenous VCAN protein induced the migration of neutrophils (P < 0.0001).

Our findings indicate that VCAN may be involved in the development of bronchiectasis by increasing the migration of neutrophils and play an important role in bronchial pathogenesis.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12890-024-03027-4.