Background: Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and a meta-analysis of GWAS for atopic dermatitis (AD) have identified some AD genetic loci in European and Japanese populations.
Objective: To investigate whether some novel susceptibility loci are associated with AD in the Chinese Han population.
Methods: We first selected eight novel susceptibility loci to replicate in 2,205 AD patients and 2,116 healthy controls using the Sequenom platform. Data were analyzed with PLINK 1.07 software.
Results: We found that rs12634229 (3q13.2), rs7927894 (11p13.5) and rs878860 (11p15.4) showed a slight association with AD (P = 0.012, P = 0.033, P = 0.020, respectively); rs6780220 (3p21.33) was preferentially related to AD with keratosis pilaris, but did not reach the threshold of significance after correction. The frequency of rs7927894 allele T was significantly different between AD patients with a positive and negative family history of atopy.
Conclusion: The loci rs7927894 (11p13.5) are related to AD with a positive family history of atopy in Chinese Han population, providing novel insight into the genetic pathogenesis of AD.