Association of STAT6 Gene Variants with Food Allergy

Abstract

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.