title: Toll-like receptor gene polymorphisms are associated with allergic rhinitis: a case control study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Toll-like receptor proteins are important in host defense and initiation of the innate and adaptive immune responses. A number of studies have identified associations between genetic variation in the Toll-like receptor genes and allergic disorders such as asthma and allergic rhinitis. The present study aim to search for genetic variation associated with allergic rhinitis in the Toll-like receptor genes.
  
  
  METHODS
  A first association analysis genotyped 73 SNPs in 182 cases and 378 controls from a Swedish population. Based on these results an additional 24 SNPs were analyzed in one Swedish population with 352 cases and 709 controls and one Chinese population with 948 cases and 580 controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The first association analysis identified 4 allergic rhinitis-associated SNPs in the TLR7-TLR8 gene region. Subsequent analysis of 24 SNPs from this region identified 7 and 5 significant SNPs from the Swedish and Chinese populations, respectively. The corresponding risk-associated haplotypes are significant after Bonferroni correction and are the most common haplotypes in both populations. The associations are primarily detected in females in the Swedish population, whereas it is seen in males in the Chinese population. Further independent support for the involvement of this region in allergic rhinitis was obtained from quantitative skin prick test data generated in both populations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Haplotypes in the TLR7-TLR8 gene region were associated with allergic rhinitis in one Swedish and one Chinese population. Since this region has earlier been associated with asthma and allergic rhinitis in a Danish linkage study this speaks strongly in favour of this region being truly involved in the development of this disease.
authors.affiliation: Division of ENT Diseases, Department of Clinical Sciences, Intervention and Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. daniel.nilsson.2@ki.se
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nilsson
authors.forename: Anand Kumar
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Andiappan
authors.forename: Christer
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Halldén
authors.forename: Wang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: De Yun
authors.forename: Torbjörn
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Säll
authors.forename: Chew Fook
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Tim
authors.forename: Lars-Olaf
authors.initials: LO
authors.lastname: Cardell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006239:Haplotypes / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010641:Phenotype; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide / Q000235:genetics*; D011379:Prognosis; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D051199:Toll-Like Receptor 7 / Q000235:genetics*; D051200:Toll-Like Receptor 8 / Q000235:genetics*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: C495348:TLR7 protein, human; C495349:TLR8 protein, human; D051199:Toll-Like Receptor 7; D051200:Toll-Like Receptor 8