title: Association between nonspecific airway hyperresponsiveness and Arg16Gly beta2-adrenergic receptor gene polymorphism in asymptomatic healthy Japanese subjects.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nonspecific airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), a cardinal feature of asthma, is thought to result from several genetic and environmental factors. Asymptomatic AHR in nonasthmatic healthy subjects might be a risk factor for the development of asthma. Genetic variations in codons 16 and 27 of the human beta(2)-adrenergic receptor (beta(2)-AR) alter receptor function in vitro and are associated with various asthma-related phenotypes, including asthma severity and AHR. To date, however, few reports have examined the impact of beta(2)-AR gene polymorphism on AHR in asymptomatic healthy subjects.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether polymorphism of the beta(2)-AR gene (Arg16Gly and Gln27Glu) might influence nonspecific AHR in asymptomatic healthy Japanese subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cohort of 120 asymptomatic healthy subjects was analyzed using a stepwise linear regression model. Nonspecific airway responsiveness was measured using a continuous methacholine inhalation method (Astograph; Chest; Tokyo, Japan). We used values of the cumulative dose of inhaled methacholine measured at the inflection point at which respiratory conductance starts to decrease (Dmin) as an index of AHR. Genotyping to identify polymorphisms at codons 16 and 27 was conducted using an assay combining kinetic real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction with allele-specific amplification.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The Gly16Gly genotype was associated with lower Dmin values. The log Dmin value of asymptomatic healthy subjects carrying the Arg16 allele (Arg16/Arg or Arg16/Gly, n = 90) was 1.09 +/- 0.56 (mean +/- SD), while those homozygous for the Gly16 allele (n = 30) yielded a log Dmin value of 0.85 +/- 0.56 (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study indicates that a specific beta(2)-AR polymorphism at codon 16 might be a genetic determinant of AHR, as judged by methacholine-induced bronchoconstriction in asymptomatic healthy subjects.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Medicine, Hokkaido University Graduate School of Medicine, Sapporo, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshinobu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fukui
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hizawa
authors.forename: Daisuke
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Yukiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: Eisei
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jinushi
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Konno
authors.forename: Masaharu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishimura
mesh_terms: D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000483:Alleles; D016535:Bronchial Hyperreactivity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016084:Bronchoconstriction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D016085:Bronchoconstrictor Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D016210:Methacholine Chloride / Q000008:administration & dosage; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D015995:Prevalence; D018343:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta-2 / Q000235:genetics*; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D016085:Bronchoconstrictor Agents; D018343:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta-2; D016210:Methacholine Chloride; D004247:DNA