Maternal Smoking and Childhood Asthma: The Role of GSTP1 Variants
Author Information
Author(s): Li Yu-Fen, Gauderman W. James, Conti David V., Lin Pi-Chu, Avol Edward, Gilliland Frank D.
Primary Institution: Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California
Hypothesis
Are sequence variations in the GSTP1 gene associated with asthma and wheezing outcomes in children, particularly in relation to maternal smoking?
Conclusion
Variants in both the promoter and coding regions of the GSTP1 locus may contribute to the occurrence of childhood asthma and wheezing and may increase susceptibility to adverse effects of tobacco-smoke exposure.
Supporting Evidence
- The Ile105Val allele was associated with asthma and wheezing outcomes.
- Haplotypes including the promoter SNP and the 105 Val variant increased asthma risk in non-Hispanic whites.
- Maternal smoking had a larger effect on wheezing in children with the Ile105Val allele.
- Genetic associations were consistent across two independent cohorts in the study.
Takeaway
This study found that certain gene variations can make children more likely to develop asthma, especially if their mothers smoked during pregnancy.
Methodology
The study used haplotype tagging SNPs to assess associations between GSTP1 variants and asthma outcomes among children in the Children's Health Study.
Potential Biases
Selection bias may exist as the group of children with genotyping data did not differ significantly from those without.
Limitations
The study focused only on the GSTP1 gene, which may not capture the full genetic susceptibility to asthma.
Participant Demographics
Participants were primarily non-Hispanic white and Hispanic white children, with a mean age of less than 10 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.022
Confidence Interval
95% CI, 1.0–1.7
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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