A major susceptibility gene for asthma maps to chromosome 14q24.
Asthma is a complex genetic disorder with a heterogeneous phenotype, largely attributed to the interactions among many genes and between these genes and the environment. Numerous loci and candidate genes have been reported to show linkage and association to asthma and atopy. Although some studies reporting these observations are compelling, no gene has been mapped that confers a sufficiently high risk of asthma to meet the stringent criteria for genomewide significance. Using 175 extended Icelandic families that included 596 patients with asthma, we performed a genomewide scan with 976 microsatellite markers. The families were identified by cross-matching a list of patients with asthma from the Department of Allergy/Pulmonary Medicine of the National University Hospital of Iceland with a genealogy database of the entire Icelandic nation. We detected linkage of asthma to chromosome 14q24, with an allele-sharing LOD score of 2.66. After we increased the marker density within the locus to an average of one microsatellite every 0.2 cM, the LOD score rose to 4.00. We designate this locus "asthma locus one" (AS1). Taken together, these results provide evidence of a novel susceptibility gene for asthma on chromosome 14q24.
Hakonarson
Hakon
H
deCODE Genetics, Inc., Reykjavik, Iceland. hakonh@decode.is
Bjornsdottir
Unnur S
US
Halapi
Eva
E
Palsson
Snaebjorn
S
Adalsteinsdottir
Elva
E
Gislason
David
D
Finnbogason
Gudmundur
G
Gislason
Thorarinn
T
Kristjansson
Kristleifur
K
Arnason
Thor
T
Birkisson
Illugi
I
Frigge
Michael L
ML
Kong
Augustine
A
Gulcher
Jeffrey R
JR
Stefansson
Kari
K
D000483:Alleles; D001249:Asthma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D002883:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 14 / Q000235:genetics*; D016208:Databases, Factual; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D007055:Iceland; D008126:Lod Score; D008297:Male; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics; D010375:Pedigree; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests