Screening of the FcεRI-β-Gene in a Swiss Population of Asthmatic Children: No Association with E237G and Identification of New Sequence Variations

Background: The gene of the beta subunit of the high affinity receptor for IgE (FcεRI-β) encoded on chromosome 11q13 has recently been identified as a candidate gene for asthma and atopy. Two coding variations, E237G and I181L have been described as being associated with asthma and atopy. Our aim was to investigate a Swiss population of atopic and asthmatic children for variations in this gene. Methods: We screened all 7 exons of the FcεRI-β- gene in 224 atopic/asthmatic, 68 relatives and 159 control subjects using exon amplification by PCR and single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis followed by fluorescence based DNA sequencing. Results: The sequence variant E237G was found in 3.7% in atopics and in 2.6% in the control population. None of the samples carried the I181L mutation. In addition, we characterised nine novel mutations (1 nonsense mutation, 2 missense mutations, mutation, 2 silent mutations, 4 intronic mutations). Conclusions: Our results suggest that the E237G does not have a primary effect on the development of atopy and asthma, and thus excludes the FcεRI-β locus from being a candidate gene directly involved in these diseases.