NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Variants within the IL1RN gene encoding the interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) are associated with asthma, German and Italian researchers report. IL-1ra is an anti-inflammatory cytokine that figures prominently in inflammation regulation.
Dr. Matthias Wjst of the Institute of Epidemiology, Neuherberg and colleagues note that the IL-1 cluster in the q12-q14 region of chromosome 2 “harbors various promising candidate genes for asthma and other inflammatory diseases.”
To investigate, the researchers studied two separate collections of trio families consisting of a mother, a father and an affected child. One sample of 127 such families was randomly selected from a larger group from Germany and Sweden and another, also involving 127 families, was recruited in Italy.
As reported in the June 1st issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the researchers found a significant association between asthma and single nucleotide polymorphisms in the IL1RN gene encoding IL-1ra.
The association was seen in both groups, but that in the Italian group, although significant, was weaker than that in the German group.
Summing up, Dr. Wjst told Reuters Health that, “by a systematic genomic screen we found a gene involved in one of the most important inflammatory pathways. This highlights the need for controlling inflammation in the asthmatic airway”.
Thus, he and his colleagues conclude that functional tests should be performed “to find the molecular mechanism that drives the phenotype via IL-1ra.”
Source: Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2004;169:1217-1223. [ Google search on this article ]
MeSH Headings:Antigens, Differentiation: Antigens, Surface: Biological Factors: Immunologic and Biological Factors: Immunologic Factors: Membrane Proteins: Receptors, Cell Surface: Receptors, Immunologic: Biological Markers: Antigens, CD: Receptors, Interleukin-1: Receptors, Cytokine: Receptors, Interleukin: Chemical Actions and Uses: Chemical Actions: Chemicals and DrugsCopyright © 2002 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world.
