Tuyển tập các báo cáo nghiên cứu về y học được đăng trên tạp chí y học 'Respiratory Research cung cấp cho các bạn kiến thức về ngành y đề tài: Interleukin-4 receptor α gene variants and allergic disease. | http content 1 1 006 Commentary Interleukin-4 receptor a gene variants and allergic disease Ian P Hall University Hospital of Nottingham Nottingham UK Received 14 April 2000 Revisions requested 8 May 2000 Revisions received 30 May 2000 Accepted 30 May 2000 Published 23 June 2000 Respir Res 2000 1 6-8 Current Science Ltd Print ISSN 1465-9921 Online ISSN 1465-993X Abstract The interleukin-4 IL-4 signalling cascade has been identified as a pathway potentially important in the development of asthma. Genetic variants within this signalling pathway might contribute to the risk of developing asthma in a given individual. A number of polymorphisms have been described within the IL-4 receptor a IL-4Ra gene. In addition polymorphism occurs in the promoter for the IL-4 gene itself. This commentary accompanies a paper by C Ober et al describing the contribution of IL-4Ra polymorphism to susceptibility to asthma and atopy in the Hutterite population and other outbred populations collected during the collaborative studies on the genetics of asthma CSGA programme. Keywords asthma atopy genetics interleukin-4 interleukin-13 Several genome-wide screens have now been performed in different populations looking for susceptibility genes for asthma and allergic disease. In general the results of these genome screens have been somewhat disappointing in that although chromosomal regions showing linkage have been identified the strength of linkage at any given site has been inconsistent. These data suggest that a number of genes of moderate effect rather than a small number of genes with marked effects contribute to the genetic basis of allergic disease. To try to dissect out the important candidate genes that contribute to the risk of developing asthma or its important sub-phenotypes several groups have concentrated on strong candidate genes that map to known susceptibility loci for asthma and atopy. Several such candidates have been identified Table 1 including .
