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Deficiency of platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase is a severity factor for asthma
Diana M. Stafforini, … , Sohei Makino, Stephen M. Prescott
Diana M. Stafforini, … , Sohei Makino, Stephen M. Prescott
Published April 1, 1999
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 1999;103(7):989-997. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI5574.
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Article

Deficiency of platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase is a severity factor for asthma

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Abstract

Asthma, a family of airway disorders characterized by airway inflammation, has an increasing incidence worldwide. Platelet-activating factor (PAF) may play a role in the pathophysiology of asthma. Its proinflammatory actions are antagonized by PAF acetylhydrolase. A missense mutation (V279F) in the PAF acetylhydrolase gene results in the complete loss of activity, which occurs in 4% of the Japanese population. We asked if PAF acetylhydrolase deficiency correlates with the incidence and severity of asthma in Japan. We found that the prevalence of PAF acetylhydrolase deficiency is higher in Japanese asthmatics than healthy subjects and that the severity of this syndrome is highest in homozygous-deficient subjects. We conclude that the PAF acetylhydrolase gene is a modulating locus for the severity of asthma.

Authors

Diana M. Stafforini, Toshio Numao, Alexander Tsodikov, Darius Vaitkus, Takeshi Fukuda, Naoto Watanabe, Naoto Fueki, Thomas M. McIntyre, Guy A. Zimmerman, Sohei Makino, Stephen M. Prescott

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Figure 1

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Distribution of PAF acetylhydrolase activity according to genotype. Plas...
Distribution of PAF acetylhydrolase activity according to genotype. Plasma samples from control subjects and from asthmatic patients were assayed for PAF acetylhydrolase activity as described previously (29). The genotype at the 279 locus was determined by an allele–specific PCR assay (24), and the subjects were categorized according to genotype. The values reported are the average of two determinations that agreed within 10% of each other.

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