title: [Relationship between TIM-4 polymorphism and childhood asthma].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To elucidate whether the polymorphism of asthma immune regulator gene TIM-4 is associated with the risk of childhood allergic asthma in the southwest region of China.
  
  
  METHODS
  TIM-4 gene promoter region RS6882076 and intron RS4704727 were studied. PCR-RFLP was used to test the genotypes of two polymorphism loci among 579 cases (average 7.2 years old) of asthma and 524 controls (average 7.6 years old) in a case-control study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were significant differences in the frequency of gene types at RS4704727 site between the asthma and the control groups (P<0.01). The results of PCR-RFLP showed that the polyporphisms of RS6882076 and RS4704727 in TIM-4 gene were present in this study population. The frequency of T allele at the RS4704727 site in the asthma group was significantly lower than that in the control group (OR=1.603; 95%CI 1.304-1.971; P<0.01). There were no significant differences in the frequencies of gene types and allele at RS6882076 site between the two groups (P>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RS4704727 polymorphism of TIM-4 gene may be associated with childhood asthma, providing a better understanding of the pathogenesis of childhood asthma in the Southwest region of China.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Jian-Ping
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Wan-Ying
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Nian-Hai
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Shui-Xiang
authors.initials: SX
authors.lastname: He
authors.forename: Gang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Wan-Jun
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic
chemical_list: D008565:Membrane Proteins; C512411:TIMD4 protein, human