title: Heme oxygenase-1 polymorphism associated with severity of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent studies have suggested that susceptibility to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) might be related to the length polymorphism of (GT)(n) repeat in the 5'-flanking region of heme oxygenase-1 (HOX-1) gene. However, there has been no research about the relationship between the polymorphism of HOX-1 gene and severity of COPD.
  
  
  METHODS
  The polymorphism of HOX-1 gene in 452 patients with COPD from Han population in Southwest China was analysed by fragment analysis. The frequencies of the HOX-1 genotype were compared with the stage of COPD of each patient.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The HOX-1 genotypes were classified into two groups: group I were individuals with class L allele (the number of GT = 32 repeats), and group II were those without class L allele (the number of GT < 32 repeats). The genotypic frequency of the HOX-1 group I was significantly higher than group II in the very severe COPD patients (36.8% vs 22.4%, P < 0.01, OR = 2.0, 95% CI 1.3 - 3.1), while the genotypic frequency of the HOX-1 group II was lower in the mild COPD (16.0% vs 26.0%, P = 0.02, OR = 0.5, 95% CI 0.3 - 0.9). However, in moderate and severe stages COPD, there were similar genotypic frequencies between HOX-1 group I and group II.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Genetic polymorphism in HOX-1 is associated with the severity of COPD in Southwest China. COPD patients with class L allele may be susceptible to develop very severe COPD. Conversely, the COPD patients without class L allele may be more easily stabilized on mild COPD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Critical Care Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical College, Kunming 650032, China.
authors.forename: Wei-Ping
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: Zhi-Huan
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Li-Zhou
authors.initials: LZ
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Chang
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jian-Qin
authors.initials: JQ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ya-Ping
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lu-Ming
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Dai
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D005838:Genotype; D051547:Heme Oxygenase-1 / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D051547:Heme Oxygenase-1