Abstract
BackgroundThymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is an epithelial cell-derived cytokine, implicated in the development and progression of allergic diseases. Recent studies have demonstrated significantly increased expression and synthesis of TSLPin nasal mucosa of patients with allergic rhinitis (AR), compared with nonallergic control subjects. Also, there is significant correlation between the level of TSLP mRNA and symptom severity in AR patients. In this study, we investigated whether polymorphisms in the TSLP gene were associated with increased risk of AR in the Chinese population.MethodsIn a candidate gene association study, we tested 11 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the TSLP gene in 368 AR and 325 control adult Han Chinese subjects from Beijing. The 11 SNPs were selected from the Chinese HapMap genotyping dataset to ensure complete genetic coverage. AR was established by questionnaire and clinical examination, and blood was drawn from all subjects for DNA extraction. The PLINK software package was used to perform statistical testing.ResultsIn the single-locus analysis of AR risk, no significant differences in allele and genotype frequencies were found between AR and control subjects. Further logistic regression analyses adjusted for age and gender also failed to reveal significant associations between AR and the selected SNPs. Similarly, analysis stratified by gender, and haplotype or diplotype did not reveal any association with AR risk.ConclusionAlthough TSLP presents itself as a good candidate for contributing to allergy, this study failed to find an association between specific SNPs in the TSLP gene and AR susceptibility in the Han Chinese population.
Highlights
Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is an epithelial cell-derived cytokine, implicated in the development and progression of allergic diseases
There is a plethora of evidence, which suggests that the airway epithelial cells are likely to play an important role in the aetiology of allergic rhinitis (AR), as they represent the first line of defense against inhaled microbes and foreign antigens and are capable of initiating and controlling immune responses by influencing the expression, synthesis and release of a variety of mediators that play a critical role in shaping and driving allergic inflammatory responses [3,4]
Recent studies in Chinese subjects have demonstrated that the expression of TSLPmRNA and/or TSLP protein was significantly increased in the nasal mucosa/epithelia cells of patients with AR compared with the nonallergic control subjects [14,17], and there was significant correlation between the level of TSLP mRNA and symptom severity in AR patients [17]
Summary
Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is an epithelial cell-derived cytokine, implicated in the development and progression of allergic diseases. There is a plethora of evidence, which suggests that the airway epithelial cells are likely to play an important role in the aetiology of AR, as they represent the first line of defense against inhaled microbes and foreign antigens and are capable of initiating and controlling immune responses by influencing the expression, synthesis and release of a variety of mediators that play a critical role in shaping and driving allergic inflammatory responses [3,4] In this regard, thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is an important epithelial cell-derived cytokine, which is expressed in skin, gut, lungs, and thymus [5], and has been referred to as a “master switch” of allergic inflammation at the epithelial cell and dendritic cell interface [6]. Recent studies in Chinese subjects have demonstrated that the expression of TSLPmRNA and/or TSLP protein was significantly increased in the nasal mucosa/epithelia cells of patients with AR compared with the nonallergic control subjects [14,17], and there was significant correlation between the level of TSLP mRNA and symptom severity in AR patients [17]
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