Two functional variants of the superoxide dismutase genes in Finnish families with asthma

• Published in: Thorax Vol. 59; no. 2; pp. 116 - 119
• Main Authors: Kinnula, V L, Lehtonen, S, Koistinen, P, Kakko, S, Savolainen, M, Kere, J, Ollikainen, V, Laitinen, T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London BMJ Publishing Group Ltd and British Thoracic Society 01.02.2004; BMJ; BMJ Publishing Group Ltd; BMJ Publishing Group LTD; BMJ Group
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Asthma; Asthma - enzymology; Asthma - genetics; Biological and medical sciences; Cardiology. Vascular system; Child; Child, Preschool; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma; Enzymes; Families & family life; Female; Finland; Gene Frequency; Genes; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; genetics; Genotype; Humans; Hyperoxia; Infant; Lung diseases; Male; Medical sciences; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Middle Aged; Mutation, Missense - genetics; Pedigree; Pneumology; Polymorphism; Polymorphism, Genetic - genetics; superoxide dismutase; Superoxide Dismutase - genetics; Toxicity; Transgenic animals; Europe; Finland; United States > US; Lung disease; Respiratory disease; Enzyme; Family study; Superoxide dismutase; Asthma; Variant; Gene; Family environment; Bronchus disease; Anesthesia; Obstructive pulmonary disease; Oxidoreductases; Circulatory system; Cardiology
• ISSN: 0040-6376; 1468-3296
• DOI: 10.1136/thorax.2003.005611

Background: Functional polymorphisms in the genes encoding superoxide dismutases (SOD)—that is, superoxide scavenging antioxidant enzymes—may play an important role in the development of inflammatory airway diseases such as asthma. Methods: The allele frequencies of two missense polymorphisms of SOD genes (Ala16Val in MnSOD (SOD2) and Arg213Gly in ECSOD (SOD3)) were investigated in Finnish patients with asthma and compared with family based controls. Both variants have been shown to be functionally interesting in the lung. The polymorphism at the exon–intron 3 boundary of a third SOD, CuZnSOD (SOD1), was also included in the analysis. Results: None of the SOD genetic variants studied appeared to be major genetic regulators in the development of asthma. We could exclude all models of inheritance that increased the risk of asthma more than 1.2 fold for MnSOD*Val (frequency of allele 0.74 in the population) and more than 6.6 fold for ECSOD*Gly213 (frequency of allele 0.03 in the population) compared with non-carriers. For the intronic polymorphism in CuZnSOD, a relative risk of more than 3.3 (frequency of allele 0.10 in the population) could be excluded. Conclusions: It is highly unlikely that the functionally important genetic variants Ala16Val and Arg213Gly of SODs play a major role in the genetic susceptibility of asthma.