Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Article
  • Published:

Quantitative locus analysis of airway hyperresponsiveness in A/J and C57BL/6J mice

Abstract

Airway hyperresponsiveness is a key characteristic of human asthma and a marker for asthma–like conditions in animals. F1 mice derived from A/J and C57BL/6J display a phenotype which resembles the asthma–like phenotype of the A/J mice. Since airway responsiveness failed to segregate as a mendelian trait, we show significant linkage at two loci, Bhr1 (lod = 3.0) and Bhr2 (lod = 3.7) on chromosomes 2 and 15. A third locus, Bhr3 (lod = 2.83), maps to chromosome 17. Each of these loci maps near candidate loci implicated in the pathobiology of asthma. Our study represents the first linkages established through a genome–wide survey of airway hyperresponsiveness in any mammal.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Hirshman, C.A., Downes, H. & Veith, L. Airway responses in offspring of dogs with and without airway hyperreactivity. J. appl. Physiol. 56, 1272–1277 (1984).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Konno, S. et al. Bronchial reactivity to methacholine and serotonin in serotonin inbred mouse strains. Arerugi 42, 42–47 (1993).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Levitt, R.C. & Mitzner, W. Expression of airway hyperreactivity to acetylcholine as a simple autosomal recessive trait in mice. FASEB J. 2, 2605–2608 (1988).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Levitt, R.C. & Mitzner, W. Autosomal recessive inheritance of airway hyperreactivity to 5-hydroxytryptamine. J. appl. Physiol. 67, 1125–1132 (1989).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. National Asthma Education Program. Expert Panel Report. J. Allergy clin. Immunol. 88, 425–534 (1991).

  6. Longo, G., Strinati, R., Poli, F. & Fumi, F. Genetic factors in nonspecific bronchial hyperreactivity. An epidemiologic study. Am. J. Dis. Child. 141, 331–334 (1987).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Nieminen, M.M. Unimodal distribution of bronchial hyperresponsiveness to methacholine in asthmatic patients. Chest 102, 1537–1543 (1992).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Lander, E.S. & Botstein, D. Mapping mendelian factors underlying quantitative traits using RFLP linkage maps. Genetics 121, 185–199 (1989).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  9. Broide, D.H. et al. Cytokines in symptomatic asthma airways. J. Allergy clin. Immunol. 89, 958–967 (1992).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Sim, T.C., Hilsmeier, K.A., Reece, L.M., Grant, J.A. & Alam, R. Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist protein inhibits the synthesis of IgE and proinf lammatory cytokines by allergen-stimulated mononuclear cells. Am. J. Respir. Cell. Mol. Biol. 11, 473–479 (1994).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Tsukagoshi, H., Sakamoto, T., Wenbing, X., Barnes, P.J. & Chung, K.F. Effect of interleukin-1b on airway hyperresponsiveness and inflammation in sensitized and nonsensitized Brown-Norway rats. J. Allergy clin. Immunol. 93, 464–9 (1994).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Gavett, S.H. & Wills-Karp, M. Elevated lung G protein levels and muscarinic receptor affinity in a mouse model of airway hyperreactivity. Am. J. Physiol. 265, L493–500 (1993).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Mikami, H. et al. Characteristics of two lines of guinea pigs (BHS and BHR) differing in bronchial sensitivity to acetylcholine and histamine exposure. Jikken Dobutsu 40, 453–460 (1991).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Barnes, P.J. Cytokines as mediators of chronic asthma. Am. J. resp. crit. Care Med. 150, S42–S49 (1994).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Aubert, J.D. et al. Platelet-derived growth factor and its receptor in lungs from patients with asthma and chronic airflow obstruction. Am. J. Physiol. 266, L655–663 (1994).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Gordon, J.R., Burd, P.R. & Galli, S.J. Mast cells as a source of multifunctional cytokines. Immunol. Today 11, 458–464 (1990).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Wasserman, S.I. Mast cell biology. J. Allergy clin. Immunol. 86, 590–593 (1990).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Pui, C.H. Serum interleukin-2 receptor: clinical and biological implications. Leukemia 3, 323–327 (1989).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Hashimoto, S. et al. Elevation of soluble IL-2 receptor and IL-4, and nonelevation of IFN-gamma in sera from patients with allergic asthma. Ann. Allergy 71, 455–458 (1993).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Park, C.S. et al. Soluble interleukin-2 receptor and cellular profiles in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid from patients with bronchial asthma. J. Allergy clin. Immunol. 91, 623–633 (1993).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Matsumoto, K., Taki, F., Miura, M., Matsuzaki, M. & Takagi, K. Serum levels of soluble IL-2R, IL-4, and soluble Fc epsilon Rll in adult bronchial asthma. Chest 105, 681–686 (1994).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Corrigan, C.J., Hartnell, A. & Kay, A.B. T lymphocyte activation in acute severe asthma. Lancet 1, 1129–1132 (1988).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Van Bever, H.P. et al. Effect of a bronchial provocation test with house-dust mite on blood eosinophilia, eosinophil cationic protein, soluble interleukin-2 receptor, and interleukin-6 in asthmatic children. Allergy 48, 443–449 (1993).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Sekizawa, K., Caughey, G.H., Lazarus, S.C., Gold, W.M. & Nadel, J.A. Mast cell tryptase causes airway smooth muscle hyperresponsiveness in dogs. J. clin. Invest. 83, 175–179 (1989).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  25. Wenzel, S.E., Fowler, A.A.D. & Schwartz, L.B. Activation of pulmonary mast cells by bronchoalveolar allergen challenge. In vivo release of histamine and tryptase in atopic subjects with and without asthma. Am. Rev. respir. Dis. 137, 1002–1008 (1988).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Caughey, G.H., Leidig, F., Viro, N.F. & Nadel, J.A. Substance P and vasoactive intestinal peptide degradation by mast cell tryptase and chymase. J. Pharmacol. exp. Ther. 244, 133–137 (1988).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  27. Lilly, C.M., Martins, M.A. & Drazen, J.M. Peptidase modulation of vasoactive intestinal peptide pulmonary relaxation in tracheal; superfused guinea pig lungs. J. clin. Invest. 91, 235–243 (1993).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  28. Ruoss, S.J., Hartmann, T. & Caughey, G.H. Mast cell tryptase is a mitogen for cultured fibroblasts. J. clin. Invest. 88, 493–499 (1991).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  29. Ying, S. et al. TNF alpha mRNA expression in allergic inflammation. Clin. exp. Allergy 21, 745–750 (1991).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Kips, J.C., Tavernier, J. & Pauwels, R.A. Tumor necrosis factor causes bronchial hyperresponsiveness in rats. Am. Rev. respir. Dis. 145, 332–336 (1992).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Martin, T.R. et al. Mast cell activation enhances airway responsiveness to methacholine in the mouse. J. clin. Invest. 91, 1176–1182 (1993).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  32. Renz, H. et al. Aerosolized antigen exposure without adjuvant causes increased IgE production and increased airway responsiveness in the mouse. J. Allergy clin. Immunol. 89, 1127–1138 (1992).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Garsen, J., Nijkamp, F.P., Van Der Vliet, H. & Van Loveren, H. A role for cellular immunity in the induction of airway hyperresponsiveness induced by small molecular weight compounds. Toxicol. Lett. 72, 151–154 (1994).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Pauwels, R. et al. Genetic factors in non-specific bronchial reactivity in rats. Eur. J. respir. Dis. 66, 98–104 (1985).

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Yarkony, K.A. & Wills-Karp, M. The effects of aging on airway hyperreactivity in inbred strains of mice. Am. Rev. respir. Dis. 147, A419 (1993).

    Google Scholar 

  36. Townley, R.G. et al. Segregation analysis of bronchial response to methacholine inhalation challenge in families with and without asthma. J. Allergy clin. Immunol. 77, 101–107 (1986).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Wright, S. Evolution and the Genetics of Populations: Genetic and Biometric Foundations. (University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1968).

    Google Scholar 

  38. Martin, T.R., Gerard, N.P., Galli, S.J. & Drazen, J.M. Pulmonary responses to bronchoconstrictor agonists in the mouse. J. appl. Physiol. 64, 2318–2323 (1988).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Kroeker, J.P. Wiener analysis of nonlinear systems using Poisson-Charlier crosscorrelation. Biol. Cybernet 27, 221–227 (1977).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  40. Lander, E.S. et al. MAPMAKER: an interactive computer package for constructing primary genetic linkage maps of experimental and natural populations. Genomics 1, 174–181 (1987).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Sambrook, J., Fritsch, E.F. & Maniatis, T. Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual. (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, New York, 1989).

    Google Scholar 

  42. Dietrich, W.F. et al. A genetic map of the mouse with 4,006 simple sequence length polymorphisms. Nature Genet. 7, 220–45 (1994).

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Paterson, A.H. et al. Mendelian factors underlying quantitative traits in tomato: comparison across species, generations, and environments. Genetics 127, 181–97 (1991).

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

De Sanctis, G., Merchant, M., Beier, D. et al. Quantitative locus analysis of airway hyperresponsiveness in A/J and C57BL/6J mice. Nat Genet 11, 150–154 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1038/ng1095-150

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ng1095-150

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing