Acute Asthma in Children: Relationships among CD14 and CC16 Genotypes, Plasma Levels, and Severity

• Published in: American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine Vol. 173; no. 6; pp. 617 - 622
• Main Authors: Martin, Andrew C, Laing, Ingrid A, Khoo, Siew-Kim, Zhang, Guicheng, Rueter, Kristina, Teoh, Laurel, Taheri, Shahir, Hayden, Catherine M, Geelhoed, Gary C, Goldblatt, Jack, LeSouef, Peter N
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Am Thoracic Soc 15.03.2006; American Lung Association; American Thoracic Society
• Subjects: Acute Disease; Adolescent; Anesthesia. Intensive care medicine. Transfusions. Cell therapy and gene therapy; Asthma - blood; Asthma - genetics; Asthma - immunology; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers - blood; Blood. Blood and plasma substitutes. Blood products. Blood cells. Blood typing. Plasmapheresis. Apheresis; Child; Child, Preschool; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma; DNA - genetics; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Female; Genotype; Humans; Intensive care medicine; Lipopolysaccharide Receptors - blood; Lipopolysaccharide Receptors - genetics; Male; Medical sciences; Pneumology; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Polymorphism, Genetic; Prognosis; Retrospective Studies; Severity of Illness Index; Transfusions. Complications. Transfusion reactions. Cell and gene therapy; Uteroglobin - blood; Uteroglobin - genetics; Human; Lung disease; Intensive care; Respiratory disease; single nucleotide polymorphism; Genotype; Asthma; children; Bronchus disease; Obstructive pulmonary disease; Child; Resuscitation; Polymorphism
• ISSN: 1073-449X; 1535-4970
• DOI: 10.1164/rccm.200509-1367OC

The majority of previous studies investigating asthma genetics have focused on cohorts with stable disease and have not defined mechanisms important during acute asthma. CD14 and CC16 each play a key role in biologically important inflammatory pathways and the gene of each has a functional promoter-region polymorphism. This study was designed to determine the influence of these polymorphisms on plasma levels of their products and clinical disease during acute asthma. We hypothesized that genotype-related differences in CD14 and CC16 production would be more marked during acute asthma and related to disease severity. We studied 148 children on presentation with acute asthma and again in convalescence. CD14 C-159T and CC16 A38G genotypes were determined, and plasma levels of soluble CD14 (sCD14) and CC16 were measured at both times. During acute asthma, plasma sCD14 levels were higher for the whole group (p = 0.003), but increases were only in subjects with CD14 -159TT (p = 0.003) and -159CT (p = 0.004), and not in those with -159CC. Plasma CC16 levels were also elevated acutely for the whole group (p = 0.013), but only in those with CC16 38GG (p = 0.043) and 38AG (p = 0.014), and not in those with CC16 38AA. Subjects with CD14 -159CC and CC16 38AA were more likely to have moderate or severe acute asthma. Plasma levels of sCD14 and CC16 were higher during acute asthma in the subjects. Those with CD14 -159CC and CC16 38AA had no change in sCD14 and CC16 levels and more severe asthma.