Asthma families show transmission disequilibrium of gene variants in the vitamin D metabolism and signalling pathway

Abstract

Abstract The vitamin D prophylaxis of rickets in pregnant women and newborns may play a role in early allergic sensitization. We now asked if an already diseased population may have inherited genetic variants in the vitamin D turnover or signalling pathway. Serum levels of calcidiol (25-OH-D3) and calcitriol (1,25-(OH)2-D3) were retrospectively assessed in 872 partipants of the German Asthma Family Study. 96 DNA single base variants in 13 different genes were genotyped with MALDI-TOF and a bead array system. At least one positive SNP with a TDT of p Genetic analysis of biological pathways seem to be a promising approach where this may be a first entry point into effects of a polygenic inherited vitamin D sensitivity that may affect also other metabolic, immunological and cancerous diseases.