GENOME SCREENING IN ATOPIC INDIVIDUALS

A total of 11 whole-genome screens for linkage regions/genetic regions that are co-inherited with disease between families that have high levels of atopy were done recently by numerous laboratory teams throughout the world. The results of these studies are mentioned below. Only a few facts are included.

• Asthma – many regions were identified that overlaped with other inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, such as ankylosing spondylitis, type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis

• This may indicate that pathogenetic pathways may be shared between inflammatory diseases that are currently unexplained by medicine, and that there are probable as-yet unknown immune processes involved

• Eczema – four linkage regions were identified, and interestingly these do not overlap with asthma, but rather with other skin diseases such as psoriasis and leprosy
• Therefore, susceptibility to asthma and AD must be mediated through different genes rather than through a common atopic background

References:

Cookson W. The immunogenetics of asthma and eczema: A new focus on the epithelium. Nature Reviews Immunology 4, 978-988 (2004)