FOXP3 and TGF-β gene polymorphisms in allergic rhinitis.

Background: Regulatory CD4+ T (Treg) cells are effective in maintaining immune tolerance.

Objective: To investigate single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of Transforming Growth Factor β-1 (TGF-β1) and Forkhead Box Protein 3 (FOXP3) genes in Iranian patients with allergic rhinitis (AR).

Methods: Variations at codons 10 and 25 of TGF-β1 and FOXP3 at positions -3279 A>C and -924 A>G were evaluated in AR patients and compared with controls. In a case-control study, 155 AR patients and 163 allergy-free controls were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction sequence-specific primer (PCR-SSP) technique.

Results: The analysis of the frequency of these SNPs showed that the haplotype formed by FOXP3 -3279 A allele occurred significantly more frequently in patients than controls (odds ratio=1.44, 95% CI=1.312-2.66; p=0.001).

Conclusions: Our results suggest that polymorphism in FOXP3 gene is associated with susceptibility to AR.