Abstract
Diffuse panbronchiolitis (DPB) is a distinctive chronic inflammatory lung disease predominantly found in Asian populations. Although its etiology is unknown, DPB is considered to be a multifactorial disease of whose susceptibility is determined by genetic predisposition unique to Asians. We and others have previously reported that the B*5401 allele of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-B gene or a closely linked gene in the HLA region on 6p21.3 is one of the major genetic factors in susceptibility to this disease . However, the association with B*5401 is not absolute and the contribution of other genetic or environmental factors should also be considered. Here, four candidate genes that are postulated to play a role in the pathophysiology of DPB, namely, RON-kinase, CYP3A4, motilin, and interleukin (IL)-8, were chosen, and association studies between microsatellite markers at these loci and DPB were conducted. We demonstrated the presence of a specific allele at the IL-8 locus was associated with the disease (c2 = 9.13; P = 0.0025; corrected P [Pc] < 0.05). Although further studies are needed to examine whether neutrophil accumulation in the airways of patients with DPB is controlled by a possible genetic variation of IL-8 or other chemokine genes located in the region 4q12-q13, our data suggest that genes other than those of the HLA system may also contribute to a genetic predisposition to DPB.
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Received: October 27, 1998 / Accepted: January 5, 1999
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Emi, M., Keicho, N., Tokunaga, K. et al. Association of diffuse panbronchiolitis with microsatellite polymorphism of the human interleukin 8 (IL-8) gene. J Hum Genet 44, 169–172 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/s100380050135
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s100380050135