Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) and other atopic diseases often share some common genetic and pathogenic bases. Recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified several loci associated with atopic diseases, allergic sensitization and asthma in different populations. The aim of this study was to investigate whether these susceptibility loci were related to AD in Chinese Han population.
Methods: Eight single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from recent atopic diseases and allergic sensitization GWAS were genotyped in 3,013 AD patients and 5,483 healthy controls in Chinese Han population using Sequenom MassArray system. Data was analyzed with PLINK 1.07 software.
Results: We identified that the susceptibility loci at 5q31 (RAD50/IL13, rs2158177, P = 1.08×10-3, OR = 1.15) and 5q22.1 (TSLP, rs1837253, P = 2.66×10-3, OR = 0.91) were significantly associated with AD. Genotype-based association testing revealed that the dominant model provided the best fit for both rs2158177 (P = 3.75×10-3) and rs1837253 (P = 5.30×10-3). Pathway analysis conformed that both loci were associated with the JAK-STAT signaling pathway.
Conclusions: We identified two susceptibility loci 5q31 and 5q22.1 for AD that might bear candidate genes conferring susceptibility to AD.