title: RANTES gene polymorphisms and asthma risk: A meta-analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  RANTES is a chemokine that assists the recruitment of inflammatory cells including eosinophils. Previous studies revealed that polymorphisms of RANTES were implicated in susceptibility to asthma, but a large number of studies reported apparently conflicting results. We performed a meta-analysis to investigate the association of these polymorphisms and asthma risk.
  
  
  METHODS
  Literature-based meta-analysis was supplemented by tabular data from investigation of all relevant studies regarding all polymorphisms of RANTES available before November 30, 2009, with investigation on potential sources of heterogeneity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ten case/control studies were included in the meta-analysis, involving a total of 1706 cases and 1685 controls. In a combined analysis, no significant associations with asthma risk were found on these two polymorphisms (-403G/A and -28C/G) without any publication bias. For the -403G/A polymorphism, in subgroup analysis by ethnicity, no significant associations were found in Asians, Europeans or African-Americans; in subgroup analysis by age, no significant associations were found in adults or children. In subgroup analysis by atopic status, the -403G/A polymorphism was significantly associated with asthma risk in atopic asthma (dominant model [OR = 1.38, 95% CI = 1.09-1.76, p = 0.009; P(het) = 0.10]; A vs. G model [OR = 1.25, 95% CI = 1.04-1.51, p = 0.02; P(het) = 0.11] and AG vs. GG model [OR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.06-1.77, p = 0.02; P(het) = 0.14]).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This meta-analysis suggested that RANTES gene -403G/A polymorphism would be a risk factor among atopic asthma patients. To further evaluate gene-to-gene and gene-to-environment interactions on RANTES polymorphisms and asthma risk, more studies with thousands of patients are required.
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, West China Medical School of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
authors.forename: Yong-Gang
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Jin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiao-Bo
authors.initials: XB
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Yu-Ling
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: Can
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Hua
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wan
authors.forename: Yu-Liang
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Yangzom-Ghising
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Tsewang
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fan
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D018946:Chemokine CCL5 / Q000235:genetics*; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006801:Humans; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic
chemical_list: C483024:CCL5 protein, human; D018946:Chemokine CCL5