Association between mast cell chymase genotype and atopic eczema: comparison between patients with atopic eczema alone and those with atopic eczema and atopic respiratory disease.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

It has remained unclear whether genetic background of patients with atopic eczema (AE) alone is identical to that of patients with both AE and atopic respiratory disease.

OBJECTIVE:

We aimed to assess whether there is a genetic difference between these two groups of AE patients.

METHOD:

We determined the genotype with regard to an allelic polymorphism in the gene for mast cell chymase (MCC; a serine protease secreted from mast cells) in 169 AE patients.

RESULTS:

MCC genotype was significantly associated with pure AE patients who did not have a predisposition to atopic respiratory disease and whose serum IgE concentration was < 500 IU/mL. The distribution of MCC genotypes also differed significantly between the latter patients and those AE patients with bronchial asthma and a serum IgE concentration of > 2000 IU/mL.

CONCLUSION:

These results suggest that pure AE is associated with genetic variants of MCC, and that the genetic basis of pure AE differs from that of AE associated with atopic asthma.

• Authors: K Tanaka, H Sugiura, M Uehara, H Sato, T Hashimoto-Tamaoki, J Furuyama
• Journal: Clinical and experimental allergy : journal of the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (Clin Exp Allergy) Vol. 29 Issue 6 Pg. 800-3 (Jun 1999) ISSN: 0954-7894 [Print] England
• PMID: 10336597 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Immunoglobulin E
• Serine Endopeptidases
• Chymases

Topics

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Asthma (complications, genetics)
• Child
• Chymases
• Eczema (complications, genetics)
• Female
• Genotype
• Humans
• Hypersensitivity (blood, complications, genetics)
• Immunoglobulin E (blood)
• Male
• Mast Cells (enzymology)
• Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal (complications, genetics)
• Serine Endopeptidases (genetics)