TITLE:
Identifying the Roles of Interleukin-13 in Childhood Asthma
AUTHORS:
Kamleshun Ramphul
KEYWORDS:
Asthma, Interleukin 13, Children
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Access Library Journal,
Vol.1 No.3,
June
18,
2014
ABSTRACT: Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways manifested by reversible airflow obstruction and airway hyperresponsiveness. While recent research has mapped several genes as possible factors predisposing to asthma, interleukin-13 remains one of the most commonly found genes in various populations. IL-13 is a pleiotropic TH2 cytokine which has been linked to cause an increase in goblet cell differentiation, activation of fibroblasts, elevation of bronchial hyperresponsiveness and switching of B cell antibody from IgM to IgE. The aim of this review is to study and identify the three main single-nucleotide polymorphisms of IL-13 (IL13 R130Q, IL-13Rα1 and IL-13 A2044G) that have been linked to asthma in children, and to understand their respective roles in the pathogenesis of this disease.