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Variation in ITGB3 Is Associated with Asthma and Sensitization to Mold Allergen in Four Populations

Departments of Human Genetics, Pediatrics, and Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin; and School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Correspondence and requests for reprints should be addressed to Carole Ober, Ph.D., Department of Human Genetics, University of Chicago, 920 East 58th Street, CSLC 507C, Chicago, IL 60637. E-mail: c-ober{at}genetics.uchicago.edu

Rationale: Recent genetic studies have implicated integrins in asthma and atopy susceptibility. We therefore evaluated the integrin-ß3 gene (ITGB3), an integrin gene within an asthma linkage peak on chromosome 17, as a candidate for susceptibility to asthma- and atopy-related phenotypes. Methods and Measurements: We genotyped and performed association tests on 19 single nucleotide polymorphisms in ITGB3 in the Hutterites, a founder population, and in three outbred replication populations. Main Results: Variation in ITGB3 was strongly associated with susceptibility to bronchial hyperresponsiveness and protection from allergic sensitization to mold allergens in this population. Three independent case-control populations representing Caucasians and African Americans were used to replicate this finding, also revealing ITGB3 alleles that are associated with asthma susceptibility and protection from mold allergen sensitization. Conclusions: This study provides evidence that ITGB3 plays a role in the pathogenesis of asthma and sensitization to mold allergens.

Key Words: association • asthma • genetics • hypersensitivity • integrins

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