Genetic variants in <i>TNF</i><b>α</b>, <i>TGFB1, PTGS1</i> and <i>PTGS2</i> genes are associated with diisocyanate-induced asthma

<div><p></p><p>Diisocyanates are the most common cause of occupational asthma, but risk factors are not well defined. A case-control study was conducted to investigate whether genetic variants in inflammatory response genes (<i>TNFα, IL1α, IL1β, IL1RN, IL10, TGFB1, ADAM33, ALOX-5, PTGS1, PTGS2</i> and <i>NAG-1/GDF15</i>) are associated with increased susceptibility to diisocyanate asthma (DA). These genes were selected based on their role in asthmatic inflammatory processes and previously reported associations with asthma phenotypes. The main study population consisted of 237 Caucasian French Canadians from among a larger sample of 280 diisocyanate-exposed workers in two groups: workers with specific inhalation challenge (SIC) confirmed DA (DA⁺, <i>n</i> = 95) and asymptomatic exposed workers (AW, <i>n</i> = 142). Genotyping was performed on genomic DNA, using a 5′ nuclease PCR assay. After adjusting for potentially confounding variables of age, smoking status and duration of exposure, the <i>PTGS1</i> rs5788 and <i>TGFB1</i> rs1800469 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) showed a protective effect under a dominant model (OR = 0.38; 95% CI = 0.17, 0.89 and OR = 0.38; 95% CI = 0.18, 0.74, respectively) while the <i>TNFα</i> rs1800629 SNP was associated with an increased risk of DA (OR = 2.08; 95% CI = 1.03, 4.17). Additionally, the <i>PTGS2</i> rs20417 variant showed an association with increased risk of DA in a recessive genetic model (OR = 6.40; 95% CI = 1.06, 38.75). These results suggest that genetic variations in <i>TNFα, TGFB1, PTGS1</i> and <i>PTGS2</i> genes contribute to DA susceptibility.</p>