Association study between interleukin-12 receptor β1/β2 genes and allergic rhinitis in the Chinese Han population

Interleukin-12 (IL-12) plays a key role in the protection against allergic reaction induced by allergen as well as the differentiation of T helper 1 cells in patients with allergic rhinitis (AR), exerting its biological effects through binding to specific IL-12 receptors (IL-12Rs) termed IL-12Rβ1 and IL-12Rβ2. In this study, we investigated the relationship between polymorphisms in the IL-12R gene and AR in the Chinese Han population. A total of 543 patients with AR and 749 normal controls were genotyped for IL-12Rβ1/rs438421, IL-12Rβ2/rs3790565, rs3790567, and rs6679356 using a PCR restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. The association study of each polymorphism of the IL-12Rβ1 and IL-12Rβ2 gene and AR showed that a significantly increased prevalence of the homozygous rs438421 GG genotype and G allele appeared in the AR patients compared with healthy controls. A significantly decreased prevalence of AG in rs438421 in AR patients is compared with healthy controls. Our research demonstrated an important association between polymorphisms in IL-12Rβ1 and AR in the Chinese Han population. A strong association between rs438421 in a single nucleotide polymorphism of IL-12Rβ1 and AR was identified.