Association of ATP8B3 gene polymorphisms with aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease in asthmatics

Background: Aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease (AERD), an asthma phenotype, often presents with severe manifestations and it remains widely underdiagnosed because of insufficient awareness of the relationship between the ingestion of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, including acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), and asthma exacerbation. Our previous genome-wide association study demonstrated an association between a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the ATP8B3 gene and the risk of AERD. This study examined AERD-related SNPs of the ATP8B3 gene in a large population. Methods: Twenty-five SNPs of ATP8B3 were genotyped with the GoldenGate assay using VeraCode microbeads in 141 asthmatics with AERD and 995 Aspirin-tolerant asthma (ATA). The genotype distribution was analyzed using logistic regression models. The declines in forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1)following an ASA challenge were compared among the genotypes and haplotypes using a type III generalized linear model. Results: The minor allele frequencies (MAFs) of rs10421558 A>G in the 5’UTR and rs10403288 G>A in the intron were significantly lower in the AERD than the ATA [34.0% vs. 43.8%, OR = 0.66 (0.62–0.92), P corr = 0.03 and 28.4% vs. 35.4%, OR = 0.62 (0.59–0.89), P corr = 0.016, respectively]. BL1ht5 was significantly higher in the AERD [7.6% vs. 1.6%, OR = 12.23 (0.2–0.51), P = 4.7 × 10 −4 , P corr = 0.001]. Among them, rs10421558 A>G and BL1ht5 were associated with the percent decline in FEV1 on the oral ASA challenge test. Conclusion: The minor allele of rs10421558 A>G in the 5′UTR may protect against the development of AERD via the increased production of ATP8B3.