Polymorphism of the Transporters Associated with Antigen Processing 1 (TAP1) Gene in Korean Patients with Allergic Rhinitis

Kim, Kyung Rae; Cho, Seok Hyun; Jung, Jin Hyuk; Jeon, Sung Ha; Kim, Su Young; Choi, Suk Joo; Tae, Kyung

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Antigen peptides are actively transported across the endoplasmic reticulum by the transporters associated with antigen processing (TAP) and presented to self-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocytes by the HLA class I molecules. Polymorphisms in TAP genes could influence the selection of peptides that bind to class I molecules. We designed a case-control study to investigate the frequencies of TAP1 gene in control group and allergic rhinitis group, to analyze the association of TAP1 polymorphism with allergic rhinitis, and to compare the frequencies of TAP1 haplotypes among the various ethnic groups. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: TAP1 genotyping were performed for 110 Korean allergic rhinitis patients and 107 healthy controls. TAP1 polymorphic residues at codon 333 and 637 were found using amplification refractory mutation system-polymerase chain reaction (ARMS-PCR). RESULTS: The frequencies of Ile/Ile and Ile/Val genotypes at TAP1 codon 333 were 74.5%, 23.7% in allergic rhinitis, and 50.5%, 49.5% in controls, respectively. The odds ratio of Ile/Val was 0.43 (95%CI, 0.24-0.80) in relation to Ile/Ile (p=0.001). The frequencies of Asp/Asp and Asp/Gly genotypes at TAP1 codon 637 were 69.0%, 27.3% in allergic rhinitis, and 51.4%, 46.7% in controls, respectively. The odds ratio of Asp/Gly was 0.43 (95%CI, 0.24-0.80) in relation to Asp/Asp (p=0.011). CONCLUSION: TAP1 gene polymorphism may be an important factor for the pathogenesis of allergic rhinitis and it could determine the individual susceptibility of allergic rhinitis in the Korean population.