title: SNPs in the FCER1A gene region show no association with allergic rhinitis in a Han Chinese population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Immunoglobulin E (IgE) is a central player in the allergic response, and raised total IgE levels are considered as an indicator of atopy or potential development of atopy. A recent genome-wide scan in a German population-based cohort of adults identified the gene encoding the alpha chain of the high affinity receptor for IgE (FCER1A) as a susceptibility locus influencing total serum IgE levels. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the polymorphisms in the FCER1A gene are associated with allergic rhinitis (AR) in a Han Chinese population.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A population of 378 patients with AR and 288 healthy controls was studied. Precise phenotyping of patients was accomplished by means of a questionnaire and clinical examination. Blood was drawn for DNA extraction and total serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) measurement. A total of 16 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in FCER1A were selected and individually genotyped. None of the SNPs in the FCER1A showed an association with AR. Similarly, the lack of association was also evident in subgroup analysis for the presence of different allergen sensitivities. None of the selected SNPs in FCER1A was associated with total IgE level.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although FCER1A presents itself as a good candidate for contributing to total serum IgE, this study failed to find an association between SNPs in the FCER1A gene region and IgE level or AR susceptibility.
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Ministry of Education of China, Beijing Institute of Otorhinolaryngology, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Su
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Duan
authors.forename: Xiaoping
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Na
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.forename: Liping
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Demin
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Luo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D010641:Phenotype; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D017455:Receptors, IgE / Q000235:genetics*; D012221:Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: C475664:FCER1A protein, human; D017455:Receptors, IgE; D007073:Immunoglobulin E