title: Interleukin-1 receptor-like 1 polymorphisms are associated with serum IL1RL1-a, eosinophils, and asthma in childhood.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  IL-1 receptor-like 1 (IL1RL1) is a membrane receptor involved in T(H)2 inflammatory responses and eosinophilia. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in IL1RL1 have been associated with blood eosinophil counts in a genome-wide association study and with asthma in family-based and case-control studies.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We assessed in the prospective birth cohort Prevention and Incidence of Asthma and Mite Allergy (PIAMA) whether IL1RL1 SNPs associate with levels of its soluble transcript IL1RL1 (IL1RL1-a) in serum, blood eosinophil counts, and asthma prevalence from birth to age 8 years, and whether IL1RL1-a serum levels associate with blood eosinophil counts.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifteen IL1RL1 SNPs were genotyped. Serum IL1RL1-a levels were measured in 2 independent subsets within PIAMA, at 4 and 8 years. Blood eosinophil counts were measured in 4-year-old children.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 2 independent subsets of children, 13 of 15 SNPs were associated with serum IL1RL1-a levels at ages 4 and 8 years with a consistent direction of effect for each allele. Rs11685480 allele A and rs1420102 allele A were significantly associated with lower numbers of blood eosinophils. In the total cohort, rs1041973 allele A was associated with a decreased risk of developing asthma (odds ratio, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.54-0.90). Rs1420101, recently identified in a genome-wide association study in the Icelandic population, was not associated with asthma in this study. IL1RL1-a levels were not associated with eosinophil counts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We demonstrate that IL1RL1 polymorphisms are associated with serum IL1RL1-a, blood eosinophils, and asthma in childhood.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatrics, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Olga E M
authors.initials: OE
authors.lastname: Savenije
authors.forename: Marjan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kerkhof
authors.forename: Naomi E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Reijmerink
authors.forename: Bert
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Brunekreef
authors.forename: Johan C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: de Jongste
authors.forename: Henriëtte A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Smit
authors.forename: Alet H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Wijga
authors.forename: Dirkje S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Postma
authors.forename: Gerard H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Koppelman
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004804:Eosinophils / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000072179:Interleukin-1 Receptor-Like 1 Protein; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000097:blood / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: C079241:IL1RL1 protein, human; D000072179:Interleukin-1 Receptor-Like 1 Protein; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface