Affiliations: Department of Biotechnology, Panjab University,
Chandigarh, India | Department of Pulmonary Medicine, PGIMER, Chandigarh,
India | Department of Biotechnology, S.G.G.S. College,
Chandigarh, India | Department of Biotechnology, G.G.D.S.D. College,
Chandigarh, India
Note: [] Corresponding author: Dr. Jagtar Singh, Assistant Professor,
Department of Biotechnology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India. Tel.: +91
172 253 4065; +91 987 677 5160; Fax: +91 172 2541407; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: Background: Asthma is the most prevalent disease in India according
to the national survey conducted by NFHS 2 in 1998–399. Prostaglandin D2 (PGD2)
is a bronchoconstriction inducing metabolite of arachidonic acid in the
mast cells, which is produced on exposure to allergens and acts as a ligand for
the Prostaglandin D2 Receptor (PTGDR). Polymorphisms in the PTGDR
gene have been suggested to be involved in the mechanism of asthma. Objective: This is the first study conducted in India, investigating the role
of PTGDR -441C/T} promoter polymorphism in asthma pathogenesis. Methods: A case-control study was performed with a total of 992 subjects,
including 410 adult asthmatics and 582 healthy controls from regions of North
India. The PTGDR -441C/T polymorphism was genotyped by
Tetra-Primer Amplification Refractory Mutation System Polymerase Chain Reaction
(Tetra-Primer ARMS PCR). Results: Statistical analysis of the results
between asthma cases and controls for the PTGDR -441C/T
polymorphism showed Chi^{2} (χ ^{2})=0.29, OR=0.95, 95% CI
(0.70–1.15) and p=0.599. Neither the genotypic nor the allelic frequencies
observed for the PTGDR -441C/T polymorphism, were significantly
associated with asthma or asthma phenotypes. Conclusions: The PTGDR -441C/T polymorphism is not associated with asthma or its phenotypes in
the studied North Indian population.
