ASSOCIATION BETWEEN ATOPIC ASTHMA AND A CODING VARIANT OF FC-EPSILON-RI-BETA IN A JAPANESE POPULATION

A genetic association study was performed with coding variants of Fc e psilon RI beta in relation to atopic and non-atopic asthma in a Japane se population (n = 400). A coding variant of Gly237Glu in exon 7 of Fc epsilon RI beta gene showed association with atopic asthma (OR = 3.00 , chi(2) = 5.10, p <0.03), but not with non-atopic asthma; this was se en particularly in childhood asthma (OR = 3.92, chi(2) = 8.66, P <0.00 5). This variant is also associated with very high total serum IgE lev els (>mean + 3 SD, OR = 8.56, chi(2) = 46.2, p <0.0001), but not any a llergen specific IgE. However, Leu181Ile, another variant of Fc epsilo n RI beta related to atopy in British and Australian populations, was not found in this Japanese population. These results suggest that vari ants of Fc epsilon RI beta may be an important genetic cause of the at opic asthma.