ASSOCIATION OF STAT6 GENE SINGLE NUCLEOTIDE POLYMORPHISM WITH FOOD ALLERGY

Abstract Background Food allergy (FA) may be IgE-mediated, non-IgE-mediated or mixed. Genetic predispositions result in dysregulation of the immune system and lead to FA when exposed to environmental triggers. The transcription factor STAT6 is activated by IL-4 and IL-13 and activates cytokine signaling in immune and target tissue cells; contributing in the pathogenesis of allergic disorders including FA. The rs324015 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the STAT6 gene was previously associated with nut and cow’s milk allergy. Objective to investigate the association of the rs324015 STAT6 gene SNP with food allergy. Patients and Methods After ethical committee approval and informed consent from the patients, this retrospective case control study was conducted on 100 Egyptian children divided into two groups. Group I consisted of 50 children with positive history of FA supported by positive skin prick test +/- oral food challenge and group II consisted of 50 healthy age-matched controls. Blood samples were collected and genotyped using Taqman® Realtime PCR assays. Results We found that the homozygous G genotype and G allele of rs324015 were significantly higher among food allergic subjects than controls. We report no effect of any specific genotype on the phenotype of allergic disease or reacting to a specific food more than others. Genotypes were also not related to disease severity, eosinophil counts, total IgE levels or a family history of atopic disease. Conclusion rs324015 STAT6 gene SNP may be involved in the pathophysiology of food allergy.