Association between TNFSF4 and BLK gene polymorphisms and susceptibility to allergic rhinitis

Allergic rhinitis (AR) is a common inflammatory disease of the upper airway. Recent evidence suggests that gene-gene interactions between tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily 4 (TNFSF4) and B cell lymphocyte kinase (BLK) may have a synergistic effect on T and B cells in determining immunologic aberration, via the nuclear factor-κB pathway. The present study was performed to evaluate the potential association between specific single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the TNFSF4 and BKL genes with susceptibility to AR in Chinese subjects. A population-based case-control study was performed in 600 Chinese AR patients and 700 controls. Blood was drawn for DNA extraction, and 9 SNPs (6 in TNFSF4 and 3 in BKL genes) were selected and genotyped. The TNFSF4 SNPs rs1234314 and rs1234315, and the BLK SNPs rs13277113 and rs1600249 were observed to occur in different frequencies between the AR patients and the controls. The CC (rs1234314, rs1234315) and AA (rs1600249, rs13277113) genotypes provided protective effects against AR, whereas the AG (rs13277113) genotype presented a risk factor for AR. The haplotypes ACC in the rs1234313-rs1234314-rs1234315 block and GA in the rs2254546-rs13277113 block significantly decreased the risk of AR, whereas the GGT and AG haplotypes served protective roles. SNP interaction analysis further indicated that there may be synergistic effects among the selected sets of polymorphisms. The present study suggests a novel association between specific TNFSF4 and BLK gene polymorphisms and AR risk, highlighting their potential utility as genetic biomarkers for AR susceptibility in a Chinese Han population.