Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT: Background
Candidate gene case-control studies have identified several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are associated with asthma susceptibility. Most of these studies have been restricted to evaluations of specific SNPs within a single gene and within populations from European ancestry. Recently, there is increasing interest in understanding racial differences in genetic risk associated with childhood asthma. Our aim was to compare association patterns of asthma candidate genes between children of European and African ancestry.Methodology/principal findings
Using a custom-designed Illumina SNP array, we genotyped 1,485 children within the Greater Cincinnati Pediatric Clinic Repository and Cincinnati Genomic Control Cohort for 259 SNPs in 28 genes and evaluated their associations with asthma. We identified 14 SNPs located in 6 genes that were significantly associated (p-values <0.05) with childhood asthma in African Americans. Among Caucasians, 13 SNPs in 5 genes were associated with childhood asthma. Two SNPs in IL4 were associated with asthma in both races (p-values <0.05). Gene-gene interaction studies identified race specific sets of genes that best discriminate between asthmatic children and non-allergic controls.Conclusions/significance
We identified IL4 as having a role in asthma susceptibility in both African American and Caucasian children. However, while IL4 SNPs were associated with asthma in asthmatic children with European and African ancestry, the relative contributions of the most replicated asthma-associated SNPs varied by ancestry. These data provides valuable insights into the pathways that may predispose to asthma in individuals with European vs. African ancestry.
SUBMITTER: Baye TM
PROVIDER: S-EPMC3046166 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Feb
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Baye Tesfaye M TM Butsch Kovacic Melinda M Biagini Myers Jocelyn M JM Martin Lisa J LJ Lindsey Mark M Patterson Tia L TL He Hua H Ericksen Mark B MB Gupta Jayanta J Tsoras Anna M AM Lindsley Andrew A Rothenberg Marc E ME Wills-Karp Marsha M Eissa N Tony NT Borish Larry L Khurana Hershey Gurjit K GK
PloS one 20110228 2
<h4>Background</h4>Candidate gene case-control studies have identified several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that are associated with asthma susceptibility. Most of these studies have been restricted to evaluations of specific SNPs within a single gene and within populations from European ancestry. Recently, there is increasing interest in understanding racial differences in genetic risk associated with childhood asthma. Our aim was to compare association patterns of asthma candidate ge ...[more]