Advances in asthma and allergy genetics in 2007.
This review discusses the main advances in the genetics of asthma and allergy published in the Journal in 2007. The association studies discussed herein addressed 3 main topics: the effect of the environment and gene-environment interactions on asthma/allergy susceptibility, the contribution of T(H)2 immunity gene variants to allergic inflammation, and the role of filaggrin mutations in atopic dermatitis and associated phenotypes. Other articles revealed novel, potentially important candidate genes or confirmed known ones. Collectively, the works published in 2007 reiterate that allergy and asthma are typical complex diseases; that is, they are disorders in which intricate interactions among environmental and genetic factors modify disease susceptibility by altering the fundamental structural and functional properties of target organs at critical developmental windows.
Vercelli
Donata
D
Functional Genomics Laboratory, Arizona Respiratory Center, and the Department of Cell Biology, University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz, USA. donata@arc.arizona.edu
D001249:Asthma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D003876:Dermatitis, Atopic / Q000235:genetics*; D004777:Environment; D000091344:Filaggrin Proteins; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D007249:Inflammation / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D009154:Mutation; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D018121:Receptors, Cytokine / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D018418:Th2 Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism
D016207:Cytokines; C000717249:FLG protein, human; D000091344:Filaggrin Proteins; D007381:Intermediate Filament Proteins; D018121:Receptors, Cytokine