Identification of IL6R and chromosome 11q13.5 as risk loci for asthma (original) (raw)

Two loci were confirmed to associate with asthma risk in the replication cohorts and reached genome-wide significance in the combined analysis of all available studies (n=57,800): rs4129267 (OR=1.09, combined P=2.4×10 −8 ) in the interleukin-6 receptor gene (IL6R) and rs7130588 (OR=1.09, P=1.8×10 −8 ) on chromosome 11q13.5 near the leucine-rich repeat containing 32 gene (LRRC32, also known as GARP). The 11q13.5 locus was significantly associated with atopic status among asthmatics (OR = 1.33, P = 7×10 −4 ), suggesting that it is a risk factor for allergic but not non-allergic asthma. The IL6R association supports the hypothesis that cytokine signalling dysregulation affects asthma risk, raising possibilities for targeted treatments.