title: Lack of association between the IL13 variant Arg110Gln and susceptibility to cedar pollinosis in a Japanese population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Interleukin (IL)-13 has come to be appreciated as a molecule critically involved in allergic inflammatory responses. Recent studies revealed that a common variant in the coding region of the IL13 gene, Arg110Gln, has been implicated in the development of asthma and atopy.
  
  
  METHODS
  To assess whether the IL13 variant Arg110Gln is associated with cedar pollinosis, one of the most common atopic diseases in the Japanese population, we examined the Arg110Gln variant using PCR-RFLP to compare the genotype and allele frequencies between 95 patients with cedar pollinosis and 95 healthy control subjects. Relationships between the Arg110Gln variant and the pollinosis-related traits, e.g. rhinitis severity, eosinophil counts in nasal secretion and serum total and allergen-specific IgE levels, were also investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The frequencies of the minor allele Gln110 were 25.8% in patients with cedar pollinosis and 30.9% in healthy control subjects (p > 0.05). There was also no significant difference in the genotype frequencies between cases and controls (p > 0.05). In addition, we found no significant association of the Arg110Gln variant with any of the pollinosis-related phenotypes (p > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest lack of evidence for identifying the variant Arg110Glnat the IL13 locus as a genetic risk factor involved in the development of Japanese cedar pollinosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China. teirai@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Tomomitsu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hirota
authors.forename: Tadao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Enomoto
authors.forename: Mayumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tamari
authors.forename: Mitsuteru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Akahoshi
authors.forename: Akira
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.forename: Makiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Naomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Keisuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Enomoto
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamasaki
authors.forename: Xiao-Quan
authors.initials: XQ
authors.lastname: Mao
authors.forename: Julian M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hopkin
authors.forename: Taro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shirakawa
mesh_terms: D001120:Arginine; D032485:Cryptomeria / Q000009:adverse effects*; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005838:Genotype; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D006801:Humans; D018793:Interleukin-13 / Q000235:genetics*; D007564:Japan; D011058:Pollen / Q000009:adverse effects; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D018793:Interleukin-13; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D001120:Arginine