TNS1 and NRXN1 Genes Interacting With Early-Life Smoking Exposure in Asthma-Plus-Eczema Susceptibility.

Purpose: Numerous genes have been associated with allergic diseases (asthma, allergic rhinitis, and eczema), but they explain only part of their heritability. This is partly because most previous studies ignored complex mechanisms such as gene-environment (G-E) interactions and complex phenotypes such as co-morbidity. However, it was recently evidenced that the co-morbidity of asthma-plus-eczema appears as a sub-entity depending on specific genetic factors.

AOP-helpFinder 2.0: Integration of an event-event searches module.

To support the use of alternative methods in regulatory assessment of chemical risks, the concept of adverse outcome pathway (AOP) constitutes an important toxicological tool. AOP represents a structured representation of existing knowledge, linking molecular initiating event (MIE) initiated by a prototypical stressor that leads to a cascade of biological key event (KE) to an adverse outcome (AO). Biological information to develop such AOP is very dispersed in various data sources.

Identification of novel genes influencing eosinophil-specific protein levels in asthma families.

Background: Eosinophils play a key role in the asthma allergic response by releasing cytotoxic molecules such as eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) and eosinophil-derived neurotoxin (EDN) that generate epithelium damages.

Objective: We sought to identify genetic variants influencing ECP and EDN levels in asthma-ascertained families.

Methods: We performed univariate and bivariate genome-wide association analyses of ECP and EDN levels in 1018 subjects from the EGEA study with follow-up in 153 subjects from the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean study and combined the results of these 2 studies through meta-analysis.

Genome-Wide Association Study of Fluorescent Oxidation Products Accounting for Tobacco Smoking Status in Adults from the French EGEA Study.

Oxidative stress (OS) is the main pathophysiological mechanism involved in several chronic diseases, including asthma. Fluorescent oxidation products (FlOPs), a global biomarker of damage due to OS, is of growing interest in epidemiological studies. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of the FlOPs level in 1216 adults from the case-control and family-based EGEA study (mean age 43 years old, 51% women, and 23% current smokers) to identify genetic variants associated with FlOPs.

Analysis of GWAS-nominated loci for lung cancer and COPD revealed a new asthma locus.

Background: Asthma, lung cancer (LC) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are three respiratory diseases characterized by complex mechanisms underlying and genetic predispositions, with asthma having the highest calculated heritability. Despite efforts deployed in the last decades, only a small part of its heritability has been elucidated. It was hypothesized that shared genetic factors by these three diseases could help identify new asthma loci.