[Respiratory allergic disease genes]

Asthma and atopy are polygenic diseases with an hereditary and an environmental component. Improvement in statistical and molecular tools has enabled the localization of a dozen chromosome regions bearing susceptibility genes: 1p32-34, 3q21, 5q31-33, 6p21-23, 11p15, 11q13, 12q14-24, 13q14-qter, 14q11, 17q11-21, 19q13 and 20p13. There are many candidate genes, particular the cluster of interleukin-4 genes (5q31-33), the major histocompatibility complex genes HLA D and the TNFalpha gene (6p21-23), the gene of the receptor B chain with strong affinity for IgE (11q13), the interferon-gamma gene (12q15-24), the genes of the alpha/gamma chains of the T receptor (14q11), the IL4 receptor gene (16p12), and the metalloprotease gene ADAM33 (20p13). Research will continue to define these genes more precisely or to recognize others and to apply this knowledge to therapeutic and diagnostic applications.