A genome-wide search for linkage to asthma phenotypes in the genetics of asthma international network families: evidence for a major susceptibility locus on chromosome 2p.
Asthma is a complex disease and the intricate interplay between genetic and environmental factors underlies the overall phenotype of the disease. Families with at least two siblings with asthma were collected from Europe, Australia and the US. A genome scan using a set of 364 families with a panel of 396 microsatellite markers was conducted. Nonparametric linkage analyses were conducted for asthma and three asthma-related phenotypes: bronchial hyper-reactivity (BHR), strict definition of asthma and atopic asthma. Nine chromosomal regions with LOD scores greater than 1.5 were identified (chromosomes 1q, 2p, 3q, 4p, 4q, 6q, 12q, 20p and 21). Linkage refinement analysis was performed for three BHR loci by genotyping single nucleotide polymorphisms at an average marker density of 1 cM. The LOD scores increased to 3.07 at chromosome 4p and 4.58 at chromosome 2p, while the chromosome 6p locus did not refine. The LOD score at the chromosome 2p locus is highly significant on a genome-wide basis. The refined locus covers a region with a physical size of 12.2 Mb. Taken together, these results provide evidence for a major asthma susceptibility locus on chromosome 2p.
Pillai
Sreekumar G
SG
Genetics Research Glaxo SmithKline, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709, USA/Stevenage, UK. Sreekumar. g.pillai@gsk.com
Chiano
Mathias N
MN
White
Nicola J
NJ
Speer
Marcy
M
Barnes
Kathleen C
KC
Carlsen
Karin
K
Gerritsen
Jorrit
J
Helms
Peter
P
Lenney
Warren
W
Silverman
Michael
M
Sly
Peter
P
Sundy
John
J
Tsanakas
John
J
von Berg
Andrea
A
Whyte
Moira
M
Varsani
Shela
S
Skelding
Paul
P
Hauser
Michael
M
Vance
Jeffery
J
Pericak-Vance
Margaret
M
Burns
Daniel K
DK
Middleton
Lefkos T
LT
Brewster
Shyama R
SR
Anderson
Wayne H
WH
Riley
John H
JH
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000235:genetics*; D002648:Child; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D002889:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 2; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D008040:Genetic Linkage; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D016678:Genome; D006801:Humans; D008126:Lod Score; D008297:Male; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D008875:Middle Aged; D008957:Models, Genetic; D015233:Models, Statistical; D010641:Phenotype; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011786:Quality Control