Relationship between the 17q21 locus and adult asthma in a Czech population

Several whole-genome association studies have shown a significant link between childhood asthma and the 17q12 chromosome region. We selected tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the ORMDL3 gene (17q12) to investigate gene variability in relation to adult allergic asthma and asthma/atopy traits in a Czech Caucasian population of adults. We conducted a case-control association study comprising 668 unrelated subjects (337 asthmatic and 331 control subjects). Four selected SNPs (rs17608925, rs12603332, rs8076131, and rs3169572) were genotyped using the TaqMan SNP Genotyping Assays. The single locus analysis showed only a borderline association between rs3169572 variant and asthma (p = 0.030, pcorr > 0.05). However, seven different haplotypes were identified; among them, the TTAA haplotype was marginally associated with asthma (p = 0.045, pcorr > 0.05) and TCAG haplotype was significantly associated with asthma in males (p = 0.009, pcorr < 0.05, odds ratio = 1.48, 95% confidence interval = 1.10–2.00). In addition, associations between the ORMDL3 genotypes and the total IgE level (p = 0.05, pcorr > 0.05) and hypersensitivity to the pollen (p = 0.007, pcorr < 0.05) were established. However, no relationship between ORMDL3 SNPs and the pulmonary functions was found (p > 0.05). These findings suggest that the genetic variability in the 17q21 region may be one of the risk factors also for adult asthma, especially in male individuals.