Further, we demonstrate that IL-1α alone was elevated in asthmatic compared to non-asthmatic PAEC-ALI cultures during differentiation, compared to other IL-1 family members and key epithelial mediators shown previously to play a role in asthma (IL-8, GM-CSF, TSLP, and TGF-β1). The gene discussed is TSLP; the disease is asthma.