development. Elastic fibre pathways were over-represented; products of elastin degradation have been shown to be elevated during acute exacerbations of COPD 36,37. In addition, degradation of elastin by excess neutrophil-released elastase in the lung leads to emphysema in individuals with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. CARD9, another high-priority gene at a novel signal, encodes an adaptor protein involved in neutrophil recruitment in respiratory fungal infection38. Tissue-specific enrichment of lung function signals overlapping H3K4me1 was seen in stomach smooth muscle. Although comparable H3K4me1 data were not available for airway smooth muscle, similar findings have been reported previously for rectal smooth muscle39.
