Lack of Association between the IL13 Variant Arg110Gln and Susceptibility to Cedar Pollinosis in a Japanese Population

Publisher: Karger

E-ISSN: 1423-0097|139|1|25-30

ISSN: 1018-2438

Source: International Archives of Allergy and Immunology, Vol.139, Iss.1, 2005-11, pp. : 25-30

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Abstract

Background:Interleukin (IL)-13 has come to be appreciated as a molecule critically involved in allergic inflammatory responses. Recent studies revealed that a common variant in the coding region of the IL13 gene, Arg110Gln, has been implicated in the development of asthma and atopy. Methods:To assess whether the IL13 variant Arg110Gln is associated with cedar pollinosis, one of the most common atopic diseases in the Japanese population, we examined the Arg110Gln variant using PCR-RFLP to compare the genotype and allele frequencies between 95 patients with cedar pollinosis and 95 healthy control subjects. Relationships between the Arg110Gln variant and the pollinosis-related traits, e.g. rhinitis severity, eosinophil counts in nasal secretion and serum total and allergen-specific IgE levels, were also investigated. Results: The frequencies of the minor allele Gln110 were 25.8% in patients with cedar pollinosis and 30.9% in healthy control subjects (p > 0.05). There was also no significant difference in the genotype frequencies between cases and controls (p > 0.05). In addition, we found no significant association of the Arg110Gln variant with any of the pollinosis-related phenotypes (p > 0.05). Conclusions: Our data suggest lack of evidence for identifying the variant Arg110Glnat the IL13 locus as a genetic risk factor involved in the development of Japanese cedar pollinosis.