Nature Genetics
26, 470 - 473 (2000)
doi:10.1038/82625
A major susceptibility locus for atopic dermatitis maps to chromosome 3q21Young-Ae Lee1, 2, Ulrich Wahn2, Rainer Kehrt2, Luigi Tarani3, Luisa Businco3, Dan Gustafsson4, Florence Andersson4, Arnold P. Oranje5, Albert Wolkertstorfer5, Andrea v. Berg6, Ute Hoffmann7, Wolfgang Küster8, Thomas Wienker9, Franz Rüschendorf1, 9
& André Reis1, 10, 111
Gene Mapping Centre, Max-Delbrück-Centre (MDC) for Molecular Medicine, Berlin, Germany. 2
Department of Paediatric Pneumology and Immunology, Humboldt-University, Berlin, Germany. 3
Department of Paediatrics, University La Sapienza, Rome, Italy. 4
Department of Paediatrics, Örebro Medical Center Hospital, Örebro, Sweden. 5
Department of Dermatology and Venereology, University Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. 6
Department of Paediatrics, Marienhospital, Wesel, Germany. 7
Kinderklinik Schwabing, Technical University, Munich, Germany. 8
TOMESA-Fachklinik, Bad Salzschlirf, Germany. 9
Institute of Medical Biometry, Informatics and Epidemiology, University of Bonn, Germany. 10
Department of Human Genetics, Humboldt-University, Berlin, Germany. 11
Present address: Department of Human Genetics, Friedrich-Alexander-University, Erlangen, Germany.
Correspondence should be addressed to André Reis reis@mdc-berlin.de or Young-Ae Lee yolee@mdc-berlin.deAtopic dermatitis (eczema) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with onset mainly in early childhood1. It is commonly the initial clinical manifestation of allergic disease, often preceding the onset of respiratory allergies2,
3. Along with asthma and allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis is an important manifestation of atopy that is characterized by the formation of allergy antibodies (IgE) to environmental allergens. In the developed countries, the prevalence of atopic dermatitis is approximately 15%, with a steady increase over the past decades4,
5. Genetic and environmental factors interact to determine disease susceptibility and expression6, and twin studies indicate that the genetic contribution is substantial7. To identify susceptibility loci for atopic dermatitis, we ascertained 199 families with at least two affected siblings based on established diagnostic criteria8,
9. A genome-wide linkage study revealed highly significant evidence for linkage on chromosome 3q21 (Zall=4.31, P= 8.42 10-6). Moreover, this locus provided significant evidence for linkage of allergic sensitization under the assumption of paternal imprinting (hlod=3.71,  =44%), further supporting the presence of an atopy gene in this region. Our findings indicate that distinct genetic factors contribute to susceptibility to atopic dermatitis and that the study of this disease opens new avenues to dissect the genetics of atopy.
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