LINKAGE OF ASTHMA AND TOTAL SERUM IGE CONCENTRATION TO MARKERS ON CHROMOSOME 12Q - EVIDENCE FROM AFRO-CARIBBEAN AND CAUCASIAN POPULATIONS

To identify genes potentially relevant in atopic asthma, we analyzed m arkers in chromosome 12q15-q24.1 for linkage to asthma and total serum IgE concentration. Sib-pair analyses of 10 markers in 345 full- and 2 19 half-sib pairs from 29 multiplex Afro-Caribbean families provided e vidence for linkage to this region for both asthma and total serum IgE . Certain alleles at these loci showed significant evidence of transmi ssion disequilibrium with both asthma and high IgE. Using 6 of these m arkers and 11 additional markers, evidence for linkage of total IgE to 12q was also found in 12 Caucasian Amish kindreds (24 nuclear familie s) by both sib-pair and transmission disequilibrium analyses. These fi ndings suggest that the 12q15-q24.1 region may contain a gene(s) contr olling asthma and the associated ''high total IgE'' trait. (C) 1996 Ac ademic Press, Inc.