Tryptase haplotype in mastocytosis: relationship to disease variant and diagnostic utility of total tryptase levels.
Serum mast cell tryptase levels are used as a diagnostic criterion and surrogate marker of disease severity in mastocytosis. Approximately 29% of the healthy population lacks alpha tryptase genes; however, it is not known whether lack of alpha tryptase genes leads to variability in tryptase levels or impacts on disease severity in mastocytosis. We have thus analyzed tryptase haplotype in patients with mastocytosis, computing correlations between haplotype and plasma total and mature tryptase levels; and disease category. We found: (1) the distribution of tryptase haplotype in patients with mastocytosis appeared consistent with Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and the distribution in the general population; (2) the disease severity and plasma tryptase levels were not affected by the number of alpha or beta tryptase alleles in this study; and (3) information about the tryptase haplotype did not provide any prognostic value about the severity of disease. Total and mature tryptase levels positively correlated with disease severity, as well as prothrombin time and partial thromboplastin time, and negatively correlated with the hemoglobin concentration.
Akin
Cem
C
Laboratory of Allergic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIH, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. cemakin@umich.edu
Soto
Darya
D
Brittain
Erica
E
Chhabra
Adhuna
A
Schwartz
Lawrence B
LB
Caughey
George H
GH
Metcalfe
Dean D
DD
D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D006239:Haplotypes; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008415:Mastocytosis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D034701:Mastocytosis, Cutaneous / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D034721:Mastocytosis, Systemic / Q000097:blood / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics; D010314:Partial Thromboplastin Time; D011517:Prothrombin Time; D053802:Tryptases / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*
D006454:Hemoglobins; D053802:Tryptases