Interleukin 10 receptor alpha subunit (IL-10RA) gene polymorphism and IL-10 serum levels in Egyptian atopic patients

Objectives: to assess the value of serum interleukin (il) 10 levels as an immunological marker in atopy and to determine the role of an il-10ra gene single nucleotide polymorphism (snp) (serine 138-to-glycine exchange [s138g]) in the pathogenesis of atopic diseases. methods: seventy-five patients with atopic disorders were compared with 25 age-matched healthy volunteers. serum total immunoglobulin (ig) e and il-10 levels were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and the il-10ra gene s138g variant was screened by multiplex allele-specific polymerase chain reaction. results: there was a significant association between g allele frequencies of the s138g variant (62%,60% and 68% for atopic asthma,atopic dermatitis,and allergic rhinitis,respectively) in atopic patients compared to in controls. there were significant differences in mean ige levels but not mean serum il-10 levels between the allelic variants in atopy groups. conclusion: the il-10ra gene snp s138g may contribute to susceptibility to atopic diseases but serum il-10 level is not a sensitive indicator in atopy. © 2010 esmon publicidad.