Relationships between specific serum IgE, IgG, IFN-gamma level and IFN-gamma, IFNR1 polymorphisms in patients with penicillin allergy.

OBJECTIVE

The findings of numerous studies have suggested that both genetic and environmental influences are involved in the pathogenesis of allergic disease and atopy. We studied the polymorphisms in the interferon (IFN)-gamma (gamma) and IFN-gamma receptor 1 (IFNR1) gene with the aim of clarifying the relationships among these polymorphisms, penicillin allergy and anti-penicillin antibodies.

METHODS

A restriction endonuclease fragment length polymorphism (RFLP)-PCR analysis and sequencing were used to study the IFNR1 and IFN-gamma polymorphisms. The presence and level of eight specific immunoglobulin (Ig)E and IgG antibodies were determined by the radioallergosorbent test (RAST) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively.

RESULTS

The positive rates of specific IgE and IgG were 61.11 and 53.92%, respectively. There was no significant difference in the whole-allele of IFN-gamma distribution between patients with a penicillin allergy and control subjects. Allele 7 (18CA repeat) was significantly less frequent in the urticaria group (3.19 vs. 11.93%) than in the controls. There was no difference in IFN-gamma production among different alleles in IFN-gamma. The frequency of G/A (Val/Met) in the IFNR1 gene in allergic patients was significantly less than that in the controls (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the positive rate of IgE among different alleles of IFN-gamma. The same was true for the positive rate of IgG.

CONCLUSIONS

The Met/Val allele in IFNR1 gene may have a protective role in the non-penicillin allergic population. The allele 18CA repeat in IFN-gamma gene may be associated with urticaria.