Association of IL33, IL1RL1, IL1RAP Polymorphisms and Asthma in Chinese Han Children

Asthma-Genomic Advances Toward Risk Prediction

Asthma is a common complex airway disease whose prediction of disease risk and most severe outcomes is crucial in clinical practice for adequate clinical management. This review discusses the latest findings in asthma genomics and current obstacles faced in moving forward to translational medicine. While genome-wide association studies have provided valuable insights into the genetic basis of asthma, there are challenges that must be addressed to improve disease prediction, such as the need for diverse representation, the functional characterization of genetic variants identified, variant selection for genetic testing, and refining prediction models using polygenic risk scores.

One panel with four single nucleotide polymorphisms for Chinese children with asthma: Integrating public data and whole exome sequencing

BACKGROUND

Polymorphisms in susceptibility genes are a major risk factor for the development of asthma. Understanding these genetic variants helps elucidate asthma's pathogenesis, predict its onset, expedite antiasthma medication development, and achieve precise targeted individualized treatment. This study developed a test kit based on susceptibility genes for predicting asthma in Chinese children.

METHODS

The present study constructed a VariantPro Targeted Library Preparation System with 72 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci associated with asthma from the ClinVar, OMIM, and SNPedia databases. These SNP loci were detected in the peripheral blood of 499 children with asthma and 500 healthy children. Significant differences were discovered for seven SNP loci. Simultaneously, whole exome sequencing of 46 children with asthma and 50 healthy children identified eight SNP loci with significant differences. The 15 SNP loci identified from Chinese children with asthma were validated in an independent population of 97 children with asthma and 93 healthy children by conducting multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-next-generation sequencing genotyping.

RESULTS

Four loci (rs12422149, rs7216389, rs4065275, and rs41453444) were identified, and a single-tube multifluorescent qPCR (real-time quantitative PCR) test kit was developed using these four SNP loci. The kit was tested on 269 children with asthma and 724 children with bronchopneumonia.

CONCLUSIONS

We identified four loci as susceptibility genes and developed a quantitative PCR test kit for predicting asthma development in Chinese children.

Impact of Interleukin-17 Receptor A Gene Variants on Asthma Susceptibility and Clinical Manifestations in Children and Adolescents

Several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in multiple interleukin receptor genes could be associated with asthma risk and/or phenotype. Interleukin-17 (IL-17) has been implicated in tissue inflammation and autoimmune diseases. As no previous studies have uncovered the potential role of IL17 receptor A (RA) gene variants in asthma risk, we aimed to explore the association of four IL17RA SNPs (i.e., rs4819554A/G, rs879577C/T, rs41323645G/A, and rs4819555C/T) with asthma susceptibility/phenotype in our region. TaqMan allelic discrimination analysis was used to genotype 192 individuals. We found that the rs4819554 G/G genotype significantly reduced disease risk in the codominant (OR = 0.15, 95%CI = 0.05-0.45, p < 0.001), dominant (OR = 0.49, 95%CI = 0.26-0.93, p = 0.028), and recessive (OR = 0.18, 95%CI = 0.07-0.52, p < 0.001) models. Similarly, rs879577 showed reduced disease risk associated with the T allele across all genetic models. However, the A allele of rs41323645 was associated with increased disease risk in all models. The G/A and A/A genotypes have higher ORs of 2.47 (95%CI = 1.19-5.14) and 3.86 (95%CI = 1.62-9.18), respectively. Similar trends are observed in the dominant 2.89 (95%CI = 1.47-5.68, p = 0.002) and recessive 2.34 (95%CI = 1.10-4.98, p = 0.025) models. For the rs4819555 variant, although there was no significant association identified under any models, carriers of the rs4819554*A demonstrated an association with a positive family history of asthma (71.4% in carriers vs. 27% in non-carriers; p = 0.025) and the use of relievers for >2 weeks (52.2% of carriers vs. 28.8% of non-carriers; p = 0.047). Meanwhile, the rs4819555*C carriers displayed a significant divergence in the asthma phenotype, specifically atopic asthma (83.3% vs. 61.1%; p = 0.007), showed a higher prevalence of chest tightness (88.9% vs. 61.5%; p = 0.029), and were more likely to report comorbidities (57.7% vs. 16.7%, p = 0.003). The most frequent haplotype in the asthma group was ACAC, with a frequency of 22.87% vs. 1.36% in the controls (p < 0.001). In conclusion, the studied IL17RA variants could be essential in asthma susceptibility and phenotype in children and adolescents.

IL1RL1 polymorphisms rs12479210 and rs1420101 are associated with increased lung cancer risk in the Chinese Han population

Background: Lung cancer is one of the most common human malignant diseases. In this study, we aimed to explore the association between IL1RL1 genetic polymorphisms and lung cancer risk in the Chinese Han population. Methods: We selected and genotyped six SNPs in the IL1RL1 gene using the Agena MassARRAY system in 507 lung cancer patients and 507 healthy controls. The association between IL1RL1 variants and lung cancer risk was assessed using logistic regression to calculate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Multi-factor dimensionality reduction (MDR) was used to analyze the impact of SNP-SNP interactions on the risk of lung cancer. Results: The results of overall analysis indicated that rs12479210 (T vs. C: OR = 1.42, FDR-p = 0.002; TC vs. CC: OR = 1.70, FDR-p < 0.0001; TT vs. CC: OR = 1.77, FDR-p = 0.032; TT-TC vs. CC: OR = 1.71, FDR-p = 0.001; additive: OR = 1.44, FDR-p = 0.001) and rs1420101 (T vs. C: OR = 1.31, FDR-p = 0.036; TT-TC vs. CC: OR = 1.42, FDR-p = 0.031; additive: OR = 1.30, FDR-p = 0.030) were associated with an increased the risk of lung cancer among the Chinese Han population. Stratified analysis also found the association between these two SNPs and lung cancer risk. However, there were no significant association observed between the other four SNPs (rs3771180, rs3771175, rs10208293, and rs10197862) in IL1RL1 and lung cancer risk. Furthermore, MDR analysis showed that rs12479210 was the best single model with the highest testing accuracy (0.566) and perfect CVC (10/10) for predicting lung cancer risk. The expression level of the IL1RL1 gene is lower in lung cancer tissue than normal tissue, and there are significant differences in the expression levels of IL1RL1 between rs12479210 and rs1420101 genetypes in lung cancer tissue (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that IL1RL1 genetic variants (rs12479210 and rs1420101) are associated with an increased lung cancer risk in the Chinese Han population. These risk variants may serve as biomarkers for the prevention and treatment of lung cancer.

The Genetic Factors of the Airway Epithelium Associated with the Pathology of Asthma

Asthma is a chronic disease of the airways characterized by inflammation, tightened muscles, and thickened airway walls leading to symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest tightness, and cough in patients. The increased risk of asthma in children of asthmatics parents supports the existence of genetic factors involved in the pathogenesis of this disease. Genome-wide association studies have discovered several single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with asthma. These polymorphisms occur within several genes and can contribute to different asthma phenotypes, affect disease severity, and clinical response to different therapies. The complexity in the etiology of asthma also results from interactions between environmental and genetic factors. Environmental exposures have been shown to increase the prevalence of asthma in individuals who are genetically susceptible. This review summarizes what is currently known about the genetics of asthma in relation to risk, response to common treatments, and gene-environmental interactions.

CYSLTR1 rs320995 (T927C) and GSDMB rs7216389 (G1199A) Gene Polymorphisms in Asthma and Allergic Rhinitis: A Proof-of-Concept Study

Background and Objective

Asthma and allergic rhinitis have been reported to be strongly associated with genetic factors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of the TaqMan-MGB (minor groove binder) qPCR method for detecting CYSLTR1 rs320995 (T927C) and GSDMB rs7216389 (G1199A) gene polymorphisms as well as to explore the association of CYSLTR1 rs320995 and GSDMB rs7216389 polymorphisms with genetic susceptibility of Chinese patients with asthma and allergic rhinitis.

Methods

In this study, 310 asthmatic patients and 60 healthy individuals were recruited in Peking Union Medical College Hospital. The CYSLTR1 rs320995 (T927C) and GSDMB rs7216389 (G1199A) gene polymorphisms in each group were analyzed by TaqMan-MGB qPCR and DNA sequencing which was regarded as the gold standard. After the validation of this method, additional 71 patients with allergic rhinitis and 72 patients with asthma combined with allergic rhinitis were selected and tested by using TaqMan-MGB qPCR.

Results

The TaqMan-MGB qPCR results were fully consistent with DNA sequencing results (Kappa = 1, P<0.001). In addition, the results of the TaqMan-MGB qPCR assay were not affected by bilirubin and lipids. We found differential distribution of CYSLTR1 rs320995 genotypes in female patients with asthma combined with allergic rhinitis (χ ²=6.172, P=0.046, statistical power = 0.591). Specifically, the TT genotype is more frequent in women suffering from asthma with allergic rhinitis, whereas the TC genotype is more prevalent in healthy women. However, no such associations were observed in the GSDMB rs7216389 polymorphism.

Conclusion

We have established a reliable TaqMan-MGB qPCR method for the detection of CYSLTR1 rs320995 and GSDMB rs7216389 polymorphisms. Moreover, the CYSLTR1 rs320995 polymorphism may be associated with genetic susceptibility of Chinese female patients with asthma and allergic rhinitis. Multicenter studies with larger sample sizes are required in the future.