Role of interleukins 12B and 17A genetic variation in house dust mites allergy

Abstract

Background: The house dust mites (HDM) constitute a major cause of allergic diseases all over the world. Genes encoding interleukins 12B and 17A which determine the course of T cell-mediated immune response are prime candidates as allergic disease susceptibility. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether a single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) of interleukins 12B + 1188A/C (rs3212227) and 17A −197G/A (rs2275913) confers susceptibility to HDM allergic diseases. Through a case-control study, 120 subjects served as 60 dust mites' allergic patients and 60 healthy non-allergic controls. Total immunoglobulin (Ig) E level, eosinophilic count, serum interleukins 4, 10, 12B, and 17A levels for the studied subjects were measured. Then, genotyping of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at +1188A/C for IL12B and −197G/A for IL17A gene were conducted using restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP-PCR). Results: The present study showed that in HDMs' allergic subjects there was a significant increase in IL12B (+1188 A/C) and IL17A (−197 G/A) genotype variants compared to that of the controls. There was a significant increase in total IgE levels, eosinophil counts, and the levels of both IL-4 and IL-17A, while IL12B was significantly lower in patients compared to that of the controls. There was no significant difference in IL-10 levels between patients and controls. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that IL12B (+1188 A/C) and IL17A (−197G/A) might be associated with an increase in the susceptibility to dust mites’ allergic patients.