ISSN:
1365-2222
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Background Prostaglandin D2 (PGD2), a major cyclo-oxygenase metabolite of arachidonic acid in mast cells, induces bronchoconstriction in the human lung. It has been reported that mice lacking PGD receptor fail to develop the bronchial hyper-responsiveness upon ovalbumin challenge, suggesting that PGD2 functions as a mediator of allergic asthma.Objective To determine if there are any mutations associated with the development of asthma in the haematopoietic prostaglandin D synthase (H-PGDS) gene and the human prostanoid DP receptor (PTGDR) gene.Methods and results We screened the 5′flanking and coding regions of the H-PGDS gene and the PTGDR gene by direct sequence. We identified one variant in intron 2 (IVS2 + 11 A 〉 C) and one variant in intron 3 (IVS3 + 13T 〉 C) of the H-PGDS gene, and two variants in the 5′flanking region of the PTGDR gene (−197T 〉 C and −2C 〉 T). The IVS3 + 13T 〉 C and −197T 〉 C variants were rare, appearing only once in 48 subjects. transmission disequilibrium test (TDT) analysis of 144 asthmatic families revealed that the IVS2 + 11 A allele of the H-PGDS gene was significantly transmitted preferentially to asthma-affected children (P = 0.0056), but no association was observed between −2C/T polymorphism of the PTGDR gene and asthma (P 〉 0.05).Conclusion Our results suggest that the IVS2 + 11 A/C allele may be involved in the development of asthma in the Japanese population.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.0022-0477.2001.01261.x
