J Asthma Allergy Clin Immunol.  2000 Aug;20(4):609-618.

Gene-polymorphisms of angiotensin converting enzyme and endothelial nitric oxide synthase in patients with bronchial asthma

• Jeon HS
• Cheon KT
• Lee HB
• Rhee YK
• Kim DS
• Lee YC

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) is heavily expressed in the lung and plays a role in the metabolism of angiotensin II, bradykinin and substance P. Nitric oxides, including those produced by endothelial nitric oxide synthase (ecNOS), may regulate vascular and airway tone in the lung and influence various aspects of airway homeostasis. They are potentially involved in the pathogenesis of asthma, but the role of ACE and ecNOS gene in bronchial asthma is not completely understood.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the possible involvement of ACE and ecNOS genes in the genetic basis for bronchial asthma, we investigated the association between genetic polymorphism and bronchial asthma, and its severity. METHOD: We determined the ACE and ecNOS genotypes by the polymerase chain reaction in 160 patients with bronchial asthma and 121 healthy subjects. Severity of asthma was classified by the guideline of NHLBI/WHO workshop.
RESULTS
The frequency of the ID genotypes of ACE and bb genotype of ecNOS was highest in both groups, respectively. The distribution of ACE genotypes did not differ between the two groups (p=0.27). There was a higher frequency of the bb genotype of ecNOS in the asthma group than in the control population (p=0.004). In asthmatic patients, there were no differences in the distribution of ACE and ecNOS genotypes in different severity groups (p= 0.17, 0.06).
CONCLUSION
These results suggest that the polymorphism of the ecNOS gene, not ACE gene, may be associated with development of asthma. But, the severity of asthma may not be influenced by polymorphisms of the ecNOS and ACE genes.

Keyword

Gene-polymorphism; ACE; ecNOS; bronchial asthma

MeSH Terms

Angiotensin II
Angiotensins*
Asthma*
Bradykinin
Education
Genotype
Homeostasis
Humans
Lung
Metabolism
Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III*
Oxides
Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A*
Polymerase Chain Reaction
Polymorphism, Genetic
Substance P
Angiotensin II
Angiotensins
Bradykinin
Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III
Oxides
Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A
Substance P