Association between TLR3 gene variants and Japanese cedar pollinosis

Association Between TLR3 Gene Variants and Japanese Cedar Pollinosis L. Cheng1,2, T. Enomoto3, T. Hirota4, M. Shimizu4, M. Tamari4, T. Shirakawa1,4; 1Department of Health Promotion and Human Behavior, Kyoto University, Kyoto, JAPAN, 2International Research Center for Nasal Allergy, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, CHINA, 3Department of Otolaryngology, Japanese Red Cross Society Wakayama Medical Center, Wakayama, JAPAN, 4Laboratory for Genetics of Allergic Diseases, SNP Research Center, RIKEN, Yokohama, JAPAN. RATIONALE: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the genetic variants of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 3 relate to Japanese cedar pollinosis (JCPsis), a most important springtime allergic rhinitis in Japan. METHODS: We performed a case-control association study among a Japanese population, involving 95 unrelated adults individuals with JCPsis and 95 normal healthy controls. 4 SNPs (-8921A/T, -8441T/A and 7C/A in the 5’ genomic region, and 6444C/T in exon 4) at the human TLR3 locus were genotyped using PCR-RFLP or direct sequencing. RESULTS: The 6444C/T polymorphism was significantly associated with JCPsis (P=0.0098; OR=2.26; 95% CI, 1.21-4.22). Significant association was also found between 6444C/T polymorphism and JCPsis-related phenotypes including clinical severity, serum total and allergen-specific IgE levels, and eosinophil counts in nasal secretion. CONCLUSIONS: The 6444C/T polymorphism in the TLR3 gene is associated with susceptibility to rhinitis due to Japanese cedar pollen, but the functional relationship still needs clarification. Funding: Japanese Millennium Genome Project

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J ALLERGY CLIN IMMUNOL VOLUME 113, NUMBER 2