Oxygen deprivation heightens risk of illness by changing genes, study reveals
Low oxygen levels can alter immune cell genes, weakening the body’s ability to fight infection even after oxygen levels return to normal, new research has revealed.
Scientists found that oxygen deprivation – known as hypoxia – changes the genetic material of neutrophils, white blood cells that form one of the body’s first lines of defence against infection.
These changes appear to leave a lasting mark on bone marrow cells that produce neutrophils, meaning the effects can persist long after recovery.
Researchers from the University of Edinburgh say the findings may help explain why people recovering from conditions that reduce oxygen levels, such as severe lung disease, are more vulnerable to repeated infections.
Manuel Alejandro Sanchez Garcia is postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Inflammation Research.
He said: “Recognising that low oxygen levels have a long-lasting effect on how early responder immune cells read their genetic code is important because it explains why these cells are less good at controlling infection many months after a severe respiratory illness.
“The discovery opens up new ways to think about treating long-term immune dysfunction and improving infection defences.”
The team studied neutrophils from patients recovering from acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) – a life-threatening condition where the lungs cannot supply enough oxygen – as well as from healthy volunteers exposed to high-altitude, low-oxygen environments.
Low oxygen led to changes in how the cells’ DNA was packaged, altering neutrophil behaviour.
The same modifications were seen in bone marrow precursor cells that generate neutrophils.
The cells underwent a process known as histone clipping – a change to proteins that help organise DNA – which can alter how genes are switched on or off.
Experts say the discovery suggests low oxygen can reprogramme the immune system, leaving a lasting imprint that affects how new immune cells respond in future.
Researchers now plan to investigate what triggers these long-term changes and whether they can be reversed to boost the body’s defences against infection.
