If air gets scarce -- new gene causes asthma in children

Dr. Thomas Illig, head of the working group Molecular Epidemiology at the GSF National Research Centre for Environment and Health in Neuherberg, near Munich, has also been involved in this large-scale study.

The team examined over 300,000 genetic marker in thousands of asthmatic children and compared their data with those of healthy controls. The newly found gene, ORMDL3, is a promising object of research: it could help to improve the prevention and diagnosis of asthma, and possibly to develop a new therapy.

In Germany, one child in ten suffers from asthma – without any hope of being cured. At best, until now, only symptoms can be treated. However, the research team has now been able to identify one of the main players in the complex interaction of genetic and environmental factors that lead to asthma. The scientists used the fact that the genetic material of different individuals shows differences. One type of DNA variants is called SNPs, short for “Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms”. They can be compared and statistically analysed.

To a hitherto unprecedented extent, in the present case, more than 300,000 SNPs were analysed in about 2,300 study participants, and briefly half had suffered from asthma since childhood. The comparison of their genetic data with those of their healthier contemporaries showed that several genetic variations clearly raise the risk of asthma in infancy. Above all, the gene expression of the gene ORMDL3 was influenced by them. However, significant associations must be examined in so-called replication studies of further case-control groups. “Thus, in the GAC, the Genome Analysis Centre of GSF, we have analysed an asthma population that was recruited in the LMU by Dr. Michael Kabesch, and, in this way, we could confirm the previous results”, reports Illig.

The asthma study is promoted in Germany by the National Genome Research Network (NGFN) and was carried out within the scope of the EU-financed GABRIEL project to decipher the causes of asthma. Illig is involved as a partner in both projects. Now he and his colleagues have planned follow-up investigations. “This really was an excellent joint effort that we shall continue”, the molecular biologist commented. “GSF is involved in such high-grade projects, not least because the Genome Analysis Centre is one of the few institutions that can carry out genome-wide studies on this scale. In the field of genotyping, we belong to the leading groups in Germany.”

Source: National Research Center for Environment and Health

Related stories:

Asthma and other allergies tied to absence of specialized cells
When it comes to allergies, both the problem and the solution are found within us. Our immune systems respond to foreign substances with an arsenal of cells. Some are programmed to "remember" invaders they've encountered in the past. Normally, anything previously identified as harmless is allowed to pass. Sometimes, however, the immune response goes awry, triggering an allergic reaction.
Researchers say popular fish contains potentially dangerous fatty acid combination
Farm-raised tilapia, one of the most highly consumed fish in America, has very low levels of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids and, perhaps worse, very high levels of omega-6 fatty acids, according to new research from Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
Complexity of Crohn's disease revealed as 'gene' count tops 30
New research has trebled the number of genetic regions known to be implicated in Crohn's disease, a form of inflammatory bowel disease, to over thirty. The research, published today in the journal Nature Genetics, has identified a number of potential new targets for drug development as well as providing surprising new links between the condition and other common diseases including asthma.
Eczema in infancy may be linked to cat ownership in those with a specific gene mutation
A gene mutation and cat exposure at birth may increase a child's risk of developing eczema during their first year according to a study published in PLoS Medicine this week. Researchers led by Professor Hans Bisgaard (University Hospital Gentofte, Copenhagen, Denmark) studied the association between mutations in the filaggrin gene (FLG) and exposure to environmental factors with the development of eczema.
Skin defects set off alarm with widespread and potentially harmful effects
When patches of red, flaky and itchy skin on newborn mice led rapidly to their deaths, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis looked for the reason why. What they found was a molecular alarm system that serves as a sentinel to monitor the integrity of skin — the body's essential protective barrier. The fatal effects of raising this alarm in the lab mice suggests generally that certain kinds of impairments to the skin's structure can potentially trigger harmful effects in other areas of the body, according to the researchers.
Researchers explore the emerging role of infection in Alzheimer's disease
The realization that pathogens can produce slowly progressive chronic diseases has opened new lines of research into Alzheimer's disease. In a special issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease published May 2008, guest editors Judith Miklossy, from the University of British Columbia, and Ralph N. Martins, from Edith Cowan University and Hollywood Private Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, and a group of experts explore this exciting topic.
Researchers find gene location that gives rise to neuroblastoma, an aggressive childhood cancer
Using advanced gene-hunting technology, an international team of researchers has for the first time identified a chromosome region that is the source of genetic events that give rise to neuroblastoma, an often fatal childhood cancer.
Nurture over nature
Score one for the nurture side of the nature vs. nurture debate, as North Carolina State University geneticists have shown that environmental factors such as lifestyle and geography play a large role in whether certain genes are turned on or off.

News discussion:

Medicine & Health news