Background: Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) repeatedly identified 1q23 (FCER1A), 5q31 (RAD50-IL13 and IL4), and 12q13 (STAT6) as major susceptibility loci influencing the regulation of total serum IgE levels. As GWAS may be insufficient to capture causal variants, we performed fine-mapping and re-genotyping of the three loci using 1000 Genomes Project datasets.
Methods: Linkage disequilibrium tagging polymorphisms and polymorphisms of putative functional relevance were genotyped by chip technology (24 polymorphisms) or MALDI-TOF-MS (40 polymorphisms) in at least 1303 German children (651 asthmatics). The effect of polymorphisms on total serum IgE, IgE percentiles, and atopic diseases was assessed, and a risk score model was applied for gene-by-gene interaction analyses. Functional effects of putative causal variants from these three loci were studied in silico.
Results: Associations from GWAS were confirmed and extended. For 1q23 and 5q31, the majority of associations were found with mild to moderately elevated IgE levels, while in the 12q13 locus, single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were associated with strongly elevated IgE levels. Gene-by-gene interaction analyses suggested that the presence of mutations in all three loci increases the risk for elevated IgE up to fourfold.
Conclusion: This fine-mapping study confirmed previous associations and identified novel associations of SNPs in 1q23, 5q31, and 12q13 with different levels of serum IgE and their concomitant contribution to IgE regulation.
Keywords: asthma; atopy; fine-mapping; genetic polymorphisms; immunoglobulin E.
© 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.