Polymorphisms in the beta2-adrenoreceptor gene are associated with decreased airway responsiveness.

BACKGROUND: There are a number of candidate genes thought to play a role in the development of asthma. Polymorphisms at amino acid positions 16 (arginine to glycine) and 27 (glutamine to glutamic acid) of the beta2-adrenoreceptor (B2AR) gene are known to be functionally relevant and have been associated with more severe forms of asthma, nocturnal asthma and decreased airway responsiveness in asthmatic subjects. OBJECTIVE: To determine if these polymorphisms contribute to the development of asthma by investigating the associations between the polymorphisms at amino acid positions 16 and 27 of the B2AR gene and asthma-related parameters in a large, phenotypically well-characterized population which was unselected for asthma. METHODS: Subjects (n = 332) were characterized using physiological assessments, immuno-logical data and information obtained from questionnaire. PCR was used to generate a 229 base pair fragment spanning the mutations of interest. Genotype was determined using allele-specific oligonucleotide hybridization and confirmed in 10% of the samples by direct sequencing. Multivariate analysis of the association between genotype and phenotype was then undertaken. RESULTS: Homozygotes for Glu27 were significantly less responsive to histamine than Gln27 homozygotes. In addition, Arg16 homozygotes were more likely to 'wheeze during a cold', in comparison with Gly16 homozygotes. However, there was no association between either polymorphism and physician-diagnosed asthma, eczema, skin reactivity to common allergens or total and specific serum IgE levels. The two polymorphisms were found to be in significant linkage disequilibrium. CONCLUSION: The polymorphism at position 27 was associated with decreased airway responsiveness in the study population and the polymorphism at position 16 was associated with increased wheeze during respiratory infection, but neither was associated with physician-diagnosed asthma or any of the other variables considered.

Association of polymorphisms in the beta2-adrenoreceptor gene with higher levels of parasitic infection.

The diminishing incidence of parasitic infection in westernised societies has been suggested to result in an increased prevalance of asthma. Asthma is a polygenic disease and genome screens have shown that genes on chromosome 5q31-33 are strongly linked to the disease. The gene for the beta2-adrenoreceptor is located in this region and two polymorphisms have been identified that result in amino acid changes at positions 16 (ArgGly) and 27 (GlnGlu). To determine whether these polymorphisms influence asthma and parasitic infection, a genotype/phenotype study has been performed on a cohort of 126 children from Coche Island in Venezuela. There is a high incidence of asthma on the island and intestinal helminthiasis is endemic. Genotyping for both polymorphisms was carried out by using the polymerase chain reaction and allele-specific oligonucleotide hybridisation. Genotype frequencies in this cohort were consistent with other studies and both polymorphisms were in significant linkage disequilibrium. Individuals who were homozygous for Arg16 had significantly higher levels of specific IgE to Ascaris lumbricoides (P=0.002), significantly higher A. lumbricoides egg counts (P<0.001) and significantly larger wheal sizes following skin-prick testing with A. lumbricoides allergen (P=0.008). There was no association between either polymorphism and total serum IgE or asthma in this population. A combination of mast cell degranulation and the lung migratory phase of A. lumbricoides larvae may result in bronchoconstriction in infected individuals. These results suggest that the Gly 16 allele confers resistance to high levels of parasitic infection in this population. An alternative explanation for the association is that it may be the result of linkage disequilibrium with other genes in the chromosome 5q31-33 region.

Prostaglandin E2-histamine in interactions on cAMP, cGMP, and acid production in isolated fundic glands.

Relations among cAMP, cGMP, acid production [measured by the intraglandular accumulation of [14C]aminopyrine (AP)], and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) activity were studied in isolated glands from rabbit fundic mucosa. AP, cAMP, and cGMP responses to histamine, PGE2, and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IMX) were compared with controls. Histamine and PGE2 significantly increased glandular cAMP levels twofold, and histamine and IMX stimulated AP uptake two- to fourfold. PGE2 significantly inhibited both histamine- and IMX-stimulated AP accumulation, but it did not alter basal AP uptake. PGE2 also decreased histamine-stimulated cAMP production but only at a low concentration (10(-7) M). This dose of PGE2 was near to the endogenous PGE2 content found in unstimulated glands (10(-8) M). Intraglandular cGMP levels in unstimulated glands (10(-8) M). Intraglandular cGMP levels were increased by IMX but not by PGE2 or histamine. It is concluded that histamine stimulation of acid secretion is mediated by cAMP, that secretory and biochemical responses to histamine are modulated by PGE2 because PGE2 antagonized histamine-stimulated cAMP and AP uptake, and that the rise in cAMP induced solely by PGE2 appears to be localized within nonparietal cells because PGE2 alone did not stimulate AP accumulation.