High-level expression of early growth response-1 and association of polymorphism with total IgE and atopy in allergic rhinitis adults

Early growth response-1 (Egr-1) is expressed in human airways and its polymorphisms have been associated with total IgE and atopy in asthmatic patients. We investigated the effects of Chinese-tagging single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of Egr-1 and its mRNA expression on allergic rhinitis (AR) traits. Among 214 Chinese AR adults and 259 controls, tag SNP −4071 A → G was genotyped and mRNA expression in peripheral blood was quantified by real-time PCR. Egr-1 mRNA expression was significantly higher in patients than controls (median of 0.23 vs 0.15 fold GAPDH expression; p < 0.001). Its expression was not associated with − 4071 polymorphism. However, significant correlations were found between − 4071 A → G with increased plasma total IgE ( p = 0.028) and atopy ( p = 0.030) in patients. Logistic regression confirmed the association ( p = 0.034) with age and gender adjusted. Patients homozygous for the A allele had a 2.3-fold and 1.9-fold risks, respectively of having increased plasma total IgE and atopy than those G allele carriers. We showed high levels of Egr-1 mRNA expression and demonstrated a significant association of polymorphism with increased plasma total IgE and atopy in AR patients. It may be useful to explore the pharmacogenetics of Egr-1 inhibitors.