Association of IL-13 rs20541 and rs1295686 variants with symptomatic asthma in a Saudi Arabian population

Genetic association of beta-lactams-induced hypersensitivity reactions: A systematic review of genome-wide evidence and meta-analysis of candidate genes

Importance

Beta-lactams (BLs) are the most prescribed antibiotics, being the most frequent cause of drug allergy. However, the association between BL allergy and genetic variations is still unclear.

Objective

This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to summarize the genetic effects of BL-induced hypersensitivity using existing evidence.

Methods

We searched PubMed, Medline, Scopus, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library from inception to September 15, 2022 with no language restriction. Genetic association studies investigating genetic variant/polymorphism and risk of drug-induced hypersensitivity reactions among individuals receiving BL-antibiotics were included. We excluded studies of acute interstitial nephritis, drug-induced liver injury, serum sickness, and isolated drug fever. Data were comprehensively synthesized and quality of study were assessed using STrengthening the Reporting of Genetic Association Studies (STREGA). The record screening, extraction and quality assessment were performed by two reviewers and discussions were made to resolve discrepancies. The effects of each variant were pooled and evaluated by modified Venice criteria.

Results

A total of 9276 records were identified, and 31 studies were eligible for inclusion. Twenty-seven were candidate-gene association studies (5416 cases and 5939 controls), while the others were next-generation sequencing (NGS) or genome-wide association studies (GWASs) (119 838 cases and 1 487 111 controls). Forty-nine polymorphisms were identified and most of them located in allergic reaction pathways. Meta-analyses of 15 candidate variants in a mixture of both immediate and non-immediate reactions revealed weak genetic effects of rs1801275 (8 studies; n = 1,560; odd ratio 0.73; 95%CI: 0.57-0.93) and rs20541 (4 studies; n = 1,482; odd ratio 1.34; 95%CI: 1.07-1.68) in IL4R and IL13, respectively. Results from GWASs and NGS identified, and confirmed associations in HLA regions including HLA-DRA, HLA-B, HLA-DQA, HLA-DRB1, and HLA-DRB3.

Conclusion

Our study summarized genetic evidence influencing BL-induced hypersensitivity and estimated effects of potential variants. We postulated that the genomic studies provide better insights to the mechanism of reactions and suggest potential effects of HLA Class II variants. However, results were inconsistent and unable to generalize in different settings. Further high-throughput studies with a well-defined function, epigenetic interaction, incorporated with clinical factors, would be beneficial for risk identification in BL-induced hypersensitivity.

A Pilot Study of Associations Between the Occurrence of Palpitations and Cytokine Gene Variations in Women Prior to Breast Cancer Surgery

OBJECTIVES

Palpitations are common and have a negative impact on women's quality of life. While evidence suggests that inflammatory mechanisms may play a role in the development of palpitations, no studies have evaluated for this association in patients with breast cancer who report palpitations prior to surgery. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate for associations between the occurrence of palpitations and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes for pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines, their receptors, and transcriptional regulators.

METHODS

Patients were recruited prior to surgery and completed a self-report questionnaire on the occurrence of palpitations. Genotyping of SNPs in cytokine genes was performed using a custom array. Multiple logistic regression analyses were done to identify associations between the occurrence of palpitations and SNPs in fifteen candidate genes.

RESULTS

Of the 82 SNPs evaluated in the bivariate analyses, eleven SNPs in 6 genes were associated with the occurrence of palpitations. After controlling for functional status, the occurrence of back pain, and self-reported and genomic estimates of race/ethnicity, 3 SNPs in 3 different genes (i.e., interleukin (IL) 1-beta (IL1B) rs1143643, IL10 rs3024505, IL13 rs1295686) were associated with the occurrence of palpitations prior to surgery (all p ≤ .038).

CONCLUSIONS

While these preliminary findings warrant replication, they suggest that inflammatory mechanisms may contribute to the subjective sensation of palpitations in women prior to breast cancer surgery.

The Genetic Factors of the Airway Epithelium Associated with the Pathology of Asthma

Asthma is a chronic disease of the airways characterized by inflammation, tightened muscles, and thickened airway walls leading to symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest tightness, and cough in patients. The increased risk of asthma in children of asthmatics parents supports the existence of genetic factors involved in the pathogenesis of this disease. Genome-wide association studies have discovered several single nucleotide polymorphisms associated with asthma. These polymorphisms occur within several genes and can contribute to different asthma phenotypes, affect disease severity, and clinical response to different therapies. The complexity in the etiology of asthma also results from interactions between environmental and genetic factors. Environmental exposures have been shown to increase the prevalence of asthma in individuals who are genetically susceptible. This review summarizes what is currently known about the genetics of asthma in relation to risk, response to common treatments, and gene-environmental interactions.

Predisposition to Myocardial Infarction Influenced by Interleukin 13 Gene Polymorphisms: A Case-Control Study

BACKGROUND

Additional inflammatory responses and subsequent damage-arising from enhance transcriptional activity or forming the more active protein due to existence of polymorphic sites in the pro-inflammatory cytokines gene loci-give rise to myocardial infarction susceptibility.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of our study was to explore whether two interleukin-13 gene polymorphisms (-1512A/C and +2044G/A) could serve as underpins genetic susceptibility of myocardial infarction.

METHODS

The Iranian population that belong to the Parsis ethnic group was involved in the present study. A total 250 patients with definite myocardial infarction-meeting hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, hyperglycemia, and coronary artery disease requirements-were recruited from the Shiraz urban hospitals. 250 age- and sex-matched healthy individuals without a history of cardiovascular disease and heart disease related risk factors constituted the control group. PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism technique applied to genotyping at -1512A/C and +2044G/A loci. Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium test was performed (combined cases and controls). The differences of the genotype frequencies in cases and controls were analyzed using a chi-square test. Logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the association between the genotypes and most important risk factors for myocardial infarction. All statistical analyses were performed in SPSS Version 22.0. p-values below 0.05 were hailed as statistically significant.

RESULTS

Deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was not significant in the -1512A/C locus. Statistically significant difference between our study groups was found in genotype frequency of the -1512A/C. This variant was found in associated with myocardial infarction risk factors. The +2044G/A polymorphism was not in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and no significant difference observed in the distribution of +2044G/A genotype frequency among cases and controls. However, further analysis revealed that this genotype associated with an increased susceptibility to myocardial infarction risk factors.

CONCLUSIONS

The presence of interleukin-13 -1512A/C and +2044G/A gene polymorphisms underpin myocardial infarction predisposition in the ethnic Parsis of the Iranian population.

Frequency distribution of cytokine and associated transcription factor single nucleotide polymorphisms in Zimbabweans: Impact on schistosome infection and cytokine levels

Cytokines mediate T-helper (TH) responses that are crucial for determining the course of infection and disease. The expression of cytokines is regulated by transcription factors (TFs). Here we present the frequencies of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in cytokine and TF genes in a Zimbabwean population, and further relate SNPs to susceptibility to schistosomiasis and cytokine levels. Individuals (N = 850) were genotyped for SNPs across the cytokines IL4, IL10, IL13, IL33, and IFNG, and their TFs STAT4, STAT5A/B, STAT6, GATA3, FOXP3, and TBX21 to determine allele frequencies. Circulatory levels of systemic and parasite-specific IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, IL-13, and IFNγ were quantified via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Schistosoma haematobium infection was determined by enumerating parasite eggs excreted in urine by microscopy. SNP allele frequencies were related to infection status by case-control analysis and logistic regression, and egg burdens and systemic and parasite-specific cytokine levels by analysis of variance and linear regression. Novel findings were i) IL4 rs2070874*T’s association with protection from schistosomiasis, as carriage of ≥1 allele gave an odds ratio of infection of 0.597 (95% CIs, 0.421–0.848, p = 0.0021) and IFNG rs2069727*G’s association with susceptibility to schistosomiasis as carriage of ≥1 allele gave an odds ratio of infection of 1.692 (1.229–2.33, p = 0.0013). Neither IL4 rs2070874*T nor IFNG rs2069727*G were significantly associated with cytokine levels. This study found TH2-upregulating SNPs were more frequent among the Zimbabwean sample compared to African and European populations, highlighting the value of immunogenetic studies of African populations in the context of infectious diseases and other conditions, including allergic and atopic disease. In addition, the identification of novel infection-associated alleles in both TH1- and TH2-associated genes highlights the role of both in regulating and controlling responses to Schistosoma.

Polymorphic Variants of Interleukin-13 R130Q and Interleukin-4 T589C in Children with and without Cow's Milk Allergy

Cow’s milk allergy (CMA) is one of the most frequent types of food allergy. The aim of the study was to investigate whether IL-13 R130Q and IL-4 T589C polymorphisms are associated with the risk of CMA in young Ukrainian children. A total of 120 children (age range: 1−3 years) participated in the study and were divided into two groups: CMA (n = 60) and healthy controls (CNT, n = 60). The CMA group had two subgroups: specific oral tolerance induction (SOTI, n = 30) and milk elimination diet (MED, n = 30). The CNT group had two subgroups: positive family history of allergy (+FHA, n = 24) and negative family history of allergy (−FHA, n = 36). In the CMA group, molecular genetic testing of CC, CT, and TT genotypes of single nucleotide IL-4 T589C gene polymorphisms showed significantly higher rates of the CC genotype compared to healthy controls (92.2% vs. 58.8%; p < 0.01). In the CMA group, molecular genetic testing of GG, GA, and AA genotypes of single nucleotide IL-13 R130Q gene polymorphisms showed significantly higher rates of GA and AA polymorphic locus genotypes compared to healthy controls (43.5% vs. 22.4%, p < 0.05 and 8.7% vs. 0%, p < 0.05, respectively). In future studies, the genotypic and allelic distribution of these polymorphic variants will be determined in children with CMA and healthy children.

Association of +1923C > T, -1112C > T and +2044A > G Polymorphisms in IL-13 Gene with Susceptibility to Pediatric Asthma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BackgroundPrevious studies have provided conflicting evidence implicating the IL-13 polymorphism and pediatric asthma. Thus, we performed a meta-analysis to combine and analyze the available studies to provide more accurate conclusions. Methods: A comprehensive retrieval in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and CNKI was performed up to February 05, 2020. Results: A total of 39 case-control studies including 15 studies with 4,968 cases and 7,091 controls were on +1923 C > T, ten studies with 3,175 cases and 2,983 controls on -1112 C > T, and 14 studies with 4,476 cases and 5,121 controls on +2044 A > G were selected. Pooled data showed that the IL-13 + 1923 C > T, -1112 C > T and +2044 A > G polymorphisms were significantly associated with risk of pediatric asthma. The IL-13 + 1923 C > T (Asians and Africans), -1112 C > T (Caucasians) and +2044 A > G (Asians) polymorphisms were more frequently associated in these ethnic groups. Conclusions: Our pooled data indicated that IL-13 + 1923 C > T, -1112 C > T and +2044 A > G polymorphisms were correlated with risk of pediatric asthma.

Convergent Evidence Supports TH2LCRR as a Novel Asthma Susceptibility Gene

Asthma is a common complex disease with apparent genetic predispositions, and previous genome-wide association studies suggest that rs1295686 within the IL13 (interleukin 13) gene is significantly associated with asthma. Analysis of the data provided by the 1000 Genomes Project indicated that there are additional four SNPs in nearly complete linkage disequilibrium with rs1295686 in Caucasians. However, the causal SNPs and the associated mechanism remain unclear. To investigate this issue, functional genomics approaches were utilized to analyze the functions of these SNPs. Dual-luciferase assays indicated that the functional SNP is not rs1295686 but a haplotype consisting of other three SNPs, rs1295685, rs848 and rs847. Through chromosome conformation capture, it was found that the enhancer containing the three functional SNPs interacts with the promoter of TH2LCRR (T helper type 2 locus control region associated RNA), a recently identified long non-coding RNA. RNA-seq data analysis indicated that TH2LCRR expression is significantly increased in asthma patients and is dependent on the genotype at this locus, indicating that TH2LCRR is a novel susceptibility gene for asthma and that these SNPs confer asthma risk by regulating TH2LCRR expression. By chromatin immunoprecipitation, the related transcription factors that bind in the region surrounding these three SNPs were identified, and their interactions were investigated by functional genomics approaches. Our effort identified a novel mechanism through which genetic variations at this locus could influence asthma susceptibility.

Targeted resequencing showing novel common and rare genetic variants increases the risk of asthma in the Chinese Han population

BACKGROUND

Although studies have identified hundreds of genetic variants associated with asthma risk, a large fraction of heritability remains unexplained, especially in Chinese individuals.

METHODS

To identify genetic risk factors for asthma in a Han Chinese population, 211 asthma-related genes were first selected based on database searches. The genes were then sequenced for subjects in a Discovery Cohort (284 asthma patients and 205 older healthy controls) using targeted next-generation sequencing. Bioinformatics analysis and statistical association analyses were performed to reveal the associations between rare/common variants and asthma, respectively. The identified common risk variants underwent a validation analysis using a Replication Cohort (664 patients and 650 controls).

RESULTS

First, we identified 18 potentially functional rare loss-of-function (LOF) variants in 21/284 (7.4%) of the asthma cases. Second, using burden tests, we found that the asthma group had nominally significant (p < 0.05) burdens of rare nonsynonymous variants in 10 genes. Third, 23 common single-nucleotide polymorphisms were associated with the risk of asthma, 7/23 (30.4%) and 9/23 (39.1%) of which were modestly significant (p < 9.1 × 10^-4 ) in the Replication Cohort and Combined Cohort, respectively. According to our cumulative risk model involving the modestly associated alleles, middle- and high-risk subjects had a 2.0-fold (95% CI: 1.621-2.423, p = 2.624 × 10^-11 ) and 6.0-fold (95% CI: 3.623-10.156, p = 7.086 × 10^-12 ) increased risk of asthma, respectively, compared with low-risk subjects.

CONCLUSION

This study revealed novel rare and common genetic risk factors for asthma, and provided a cumulative risk model for asthma risk prediction and stratification in Han Chinese individuals.

IL-13 and FOXO3 genes polymorphisms regulate IgE levels in asthmatic patients

Immunoglobulin E (IgE) serves a crucial role in the pathogenesis of several allergic disorders, and elevated levels of total serum IgE have been associated with asthma. IgE is responsible for the release of several asthma-associated inflammatory mediators from mast cells, such as histamine and prostaglandins. The aim of the present study was to assess the association of interleukin (IL)-13 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs20541 and forkhead box O3a (FOXO3a) SNP rs13217795 with IgE levels in asthmatic patients and a healthy control group. Genetic polymorphism analysis of SNPs was performed using PCR/restriction fragment length polymorphism. Total serum IgE levels were measured using an ELISA kit. Genotypes were grouped into three models: Co-dominant, dominant and recessive. Major and minor alleles for IL-13 SNP rs20541 and FOXO3a SNP rs13217795 were C and T, whereas for IL-13, they were G and A, respectively. There was a significant association between the IL-13 rs20541 SNP and the total IgE serum levels, in which pure minor alleles were associated with a significant reduction (~5x lower) in IgE serum levels compared with the major alleles in asthmatic subjects and to a lesser extent in the control subjects. Additionally, the FOXO3a rs13217795 SNP was associated with a significant increase in total IgE levels (~5x higher) in the asthmatic patients compared with the control subjects. In conclusion, the present study confirmed that there was a significant association between the IL-13 SNP rs20541 and asthma, and an association between the FOXO3a SNP rs13217795 with asthma pathogenicity in Jordanian subjects.

A Systematic Review of the Prevalence of Atopic Diseases in Children on the Arabian Peninsula

OBJECTIVES

To study the available data on the prevalence of atopic diseases and food allergy in children living on the Arabian Peninsula.

METHODS

A PubMed search for relevant published articles was conducted using the following search terms singly or in combination: "atopy," "atopic disease," "atopic disorder," "International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood," "ISAAC," "asthma," "allergic rhinitis," "eczema," and "food allergy" in combination with the names of countries of the Arabian Peninsula (Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and Yemen). The search captured studies published up to December 2017.

RESULTS

A total of 8 publications reporting prevalence rates of any type of atopic disease in children in 7 countries of the Arabian Peninsula were retrieved. The prevalence of all atopic disorders was comparable between countries of the Arabian Peninsula. The overall prevalence of asthma ranged from 8 to 23%, while the reported prevalence of eczema ranged from 7.5 to 22.5%. There was great variation in the prevalence rates of rhinoconjunctivitis, which ranged from 6.3 to 30.5%. The prevalence of food allergy (8.1%) was reported for 1 country only, the United Arab Emirates.

CONCLUSIONS

The reported overall rates of atopic disease in countries of the Arabian Peninsula are comparable to those reported in other industrialized countries. This is probably related to the good economic status in the region, which is reflected in the living standards and lifestyle. Further, genetic factors, such as factors related to gene polymorphism, and the high rate of consanguinity in the region may contribute to the higher prevalence of atopic diseases.