A prospective study in children with a severe form of atopic dermatitis: clinical outcome in relation to cytokine gene polymorphisms

Background and Objective: <br/> <br/> The course of atopic dermatitis (AD) in childhood is characterized by typical changes in phenotype, including a shift from skin involvement to respiratory allergy usually around the third year of age. We thus designed a prospective study to monitor the outcome of severe AD and to investigate the association between cytokine gene polymorphisms and clinical manifestations. Methods: <br/> <br/> Clinical and laboratory follow-up of 94 patients with severe AD and 103 healthy controls was performed using routine methodology. Allele, genotype, and haplotype frequencies of single nucleotide polymorphisms of 13 selected cytokine/receptor genes were analyzed using PCR with sequence-specifi c primers. Results: <br/> <br/> In our study, genotypes of 7 polymorphisms—IL-4 -1098G/T and -590C/T, IL-6 -174C/G and nt565A/G, and IL-10 -1082A/G, -819C/T, and -592A/C were signifi cantly associated with atopic AD (P<.05). A signifi cant association was also found for TNF-α AA and IL-4 GC haplotypes and AD. We confirm the progressive clinical improvement of AD together with a decrease in the severity index SCORAD (SCORing atopic dermatitis) during childhood (P<.05). We found signifi cant differences between IL-4Rα +1902 A/G and positivity of tree pollen–specifi c IgE (P<.05) in the AD group. Moreover, a weak association was also found between IL-10 -819C/T and IL-10 -590A/C and the appearance of allergic rhinitis (P<0.1). Conclusions: <br/> <br/> We confirmed a clinical shift in allergic phenotype in the fi rst 3 years of life, and showed an association between IL-4, IL-6, and IL-10 polymorphisms and AD. Our data indicate that IL-4α and IL-10 polymorphisms may be considered predictive factors of respiratory allergy in children with AD

Supplementary Material for: Short Stature in a Boy with Multiple Early-Onset Autoimmune Conditions due to a STAT3 Activating Mutation: Could Intracellular Growth Hormone Signalling Be Compromised?

<i>Background:</i> Germline <i>STAT3</i> gain-of-function (GOF) mutations cause multiple endocrine and haematologic autoimmune disorders, lymphoproliferation, and growth impairment. As the JAK-STAT pathway is known to transduce the growth hormone (GH) signalling, and STAT3 interacts with STAT5 in growth regulation, we hypothesised that short stature in <i>STAT3</i> GOF mutations results mostly from GH insensitivity via involving activation of STAT5. <i>Case Report:</i> A boy with a novel <i>STAT3</i> c.2144C>T (p.Pro715Leu) mutation presented with short stature (–2.60 SD at 5.5 years). He developed diabetes mellitus at 11 months, generalised lympho­proliferation, autoimmune thyroid disease, and immune bicytopenia in the subsequent years. At 5.5 years, his insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-I) was 37 µg/L (–2.22 SD) but stimulated GH was 27.7 µg/L. Both a standard IGF-I generation test (GH 0.033 mg/kg/day sc; 4 days) and a high-dose prolonged IGF-I generation test (GH 0.067 mg/kg/day sc; 14 days) failed to significantly increase IGF-I levels (37–46 and 72–87 µg/L, respectively). The boy underwent haematopoietic stem cell transplantation at 6 years due to severe neutropenia and massive lymphoproliferation, but unfortunately deceased 42 days after transplantation from reactivated generalised adenoviral infection. <i>Conclusions:</i> Our findings confirm the effect of <i>STAT3</i> GOF mutation on the downstream activation of STAT5 resulting in partial GH insensitivity

Supplementary Material for: Short Stature in a Boy with Multiple Early-Onset Autoimmune Conditions due to a STAT3 Activating Mutation: Could Intracellular Growth Hormone Signalling Be Compromised?

<i>Background:</i> Germline <i>STAT3</i> gain-of-function (GOF) mutations cause multiple endocrine and haematologic autoimmune disorders, lymphoproliferation, and growth impairment. As the JAK-STAT pathway is known to transduce the growth hormone (GH) signalling, and STAT3 interacts with STAT5 in growth regulation, we hypothesised that short stature in <i>STAT3</i> GOF mutations results mostly from GH insensitivity via involving activation of STAT5. <i>Case Report:</i> A boy with a novel <i>STAT3</i> c.2144C>T (p.Pro715Leu) mutation presented with short stature (–2.60 SD at 5.5 years). He developed diabetes mellitus at 11 months, generalised lympho­proliferation, autoimmune thyroid disease, and immune bicytopenia in the subsequent years. At 5.5 years, his insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-I) was 37 µg/L (–2.22 SD) but stimulated GH was 27.7 µg/L. Both a standard IGF-I generation test (GH 0.033 mg/kg/day sc; 4 days) and a high-dose prolonged IGF-I generation test (GH 0.067 mg/kg/day sc; 14 days) failed to significantly increase IGF-I levels (37–46 and 72–87 µg/L, respectively). The boy underwent haematopoietic stem cell transplantation at 6 years due to severe neutropenia and massive lymphoproliferation, but unfortunately deceased 42 days after transplantation from reactivated generalised adenoviral infection. <i>Conclusions:</i> Our findings confirm the effect of <i>STAT3</i> GOF mutation on the downstream activation of STAT5 resulting in partial GH insensitivity

Modifier gene study of meconium ileus in cystic fibrosis: Statistical considerations and gene mapping results

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a monogenic disease due to mutations in the CFTR gene. Yet, variability in CF disease presentation is presumed to be affected by modifier genes, such as those recently demonstrated for the pulmonary aspect. Here, we conduct a modifier gene study for meconium ileus (MI), an intestinal obstruction that occurs in 16-20% of CF newborns, providing linkage and association results from large family and case-control samples. Linkage analysis of modifier traits is different than linkage analysis of primary traits on which a sample was ascertained. Here, we articulate a source of confounding unique to modifier gene studies and provide an example of how one might overcome the confounding in the context of linkage studies. Our linkage analysis provided evidence of a MI locus on chromosome 12p13.3, which was segregating in up to 80% of MI families with at least one affected offspring (HLOD = 2.9). Fine mapping of the 12p13.3 region in a large case-control sample of pancreatic insufficient Canadian CF patients with and without MI pointed to the involvement of ADIPOR2 in MI (p = 0.002). This marker was substantially out of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in the cases only, and provided evidence of a cohort effect. The association with rs9300298 in the ADIPOR2 gene at the 12p13.3 locus was replicated in an independent sample of CF families. A protective locus, using the phenotype of no-MI, mapped to 4q13.3 (HLOD = 3.19), with substantial heterogeneity. A candidate gene in the region, SLC4A4, provided preliminary evidence of association (p = 0.002), warranting further follow-up studies. Our linkage approach was used to direct our fine-mapping studies, which uncovered two potential modifier genes worthy of follow-up. © 2009 Springer-Verlag.link_to_OA_fulltex