Human immunology
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In 2007, a genome-wide association study identified associations between variants involved in the regulation of ORMDL3 expression and asthma. These observations were subsequently replicated in case-control studies in several ethnic groups. We investigated the possible contribution of GSDMB/ORMDL3 variants to asthma susceptibility and intermediate asthma phenotypes in Korean children. ⋯ In the general population study, rs11650680 was significantly associated with a diagnosis of asthma. Moreover, the GA and AA genotypes of rs4794820 were associated with higher logPC(20) values and lower eosinophil percentages than the GG genotype in subjects who had been diagnosed with asthma, or showed bronchial hyperresponsiveness (PC(20)≤16). The GSDMB/ORMDL3 gene block, which includes rs7216389, rs4065275, rs4794820, and rs11650680, may be associated with asthma susceptibility in Korean children because it promotes eosinophilic inflammation, which induces bronchial hyperresponsiveness.