title: Identifying Polymorphisms in IL-31 and Their Association with Susceptibility to Asthma.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Interleukin 31 (IL-31) is a T helper type 2 effector cytokine that plays an important role in the pathogenesis of atopic and allergic diseases. IL-31 may be involved in promoting allergic inflammation and in inducing airway epithelial responses such as allergic asthma.
  
  
  METHODS
  Single-base extension analysis was used to detect the genotypes of IL-31 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and we compared the genotype and allele frequencies of the IL-31 SNPs between patients with asthma and healthy controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no significant differences in the genotype and allele frequencies of the IL-31 SNPs between patients with asthma and healthy controls. Furthermore we compared the genotype and allele frequencies of IL-31 SNPs between patients with atopic asthma, those with non-atopic asthma and healthy controls. This showed that the SNPs were not associated with the susceptibility to atopic asthma. There were no significant differences in the haplotype frequencies of IL-31 SNPs between patients with asthma and healthy controls. In patients with asthma, the IL-31 SNPs were significantly correlated with total serum levels of IgE (p=0.035).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate that, the IL-31 SNPs may be associated with IgE production in patients with asthma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Wonkwang University School of Medicine, Iksan, Korea.
authors.forename: Ji-In
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Weon-Cheol
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Ki-Jung
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.forename: Hyung-Bae
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.forename: Gyung-Jae
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Soo-Cheon
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Chae
keywords: Asthma; Haplotypes; IL-31; Immunoglobulin E; Polymorphism