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Function associated transforming growth factor-β gene polymorphism in chronic beryllium disease

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Abstract

Chronic beryllium disease (CBD) is a rare occupational, granulomatous lung disease clinically resembling sarcoidosis. The immune response to beryllium is thought to depend on genetic susceptibility. Although a glutamic acid in position 69 of the human leukocyte antigen-DP β chain (HLA-DPB1-Glu69) is associated with the development of CBD, it cannot fully explain susceptibility. It is likely that additionally other genes are involved in regulating the immune and inflammatory response in the pathogenesis of this disease. Functional gene polymorphisms (PMs) of the tumor necrosis factor (TNF)A and transforming growth factor (TGF) β1 genes are suspected to modify the course of granulomatous disorders. We analyzed the TGF-β1 (codon 25) PM in 59 patients with CBD and 164 matched healthy controls, from two groups of European/Israeli and United States origin. Additionally, patients were genotyped for HLA class II gene variants and the TNFA (−308) PM. The most significant results were found for the TGF-β1 (codon 25) PM with a shift towards the low producing non-GG genotypes in the subgroup of European and Israeli patients with CBD (62.50% vs. 13.82% in healthy controls; P<0.001). This phenomenon was not observed in the group from the United States. Moreover, TGF-β1 (codon 25) PM genotype frequencies from United States CBD patients differed significantly from those of European and Israeli patients. In contrast, increased frequencies for the high producing TNFA2 allele were found only in the patients from the United States (28.20% vs. 8.96% in healthy controls; P<0.005) but not in the group of Europe and Israel. In conclusion, the increase in TGF-β1 (codon 25) PM genotype frequency associated with a low TGF-β release suggests that immunoregulatory cytokines such as TGF-β are involved in the pathogenesis of CBD. Moreover, based on the interaction of gene PMs associated with the control of the immune response, such as TNF-α and TGF-β1, with a specific immune response gene such as HLA-DPB1-Glu69 or other HLA-class II PMs driving the immune response to Be, the present data suggest that a combination of different genetic backgrounds determine susceptibility for the same immunopathological reaction and disease.

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Abbreviations

BAL :

Bronchoalveolar lavage

BH :

Beryllium hypersensitivity

CBD :

Chronic beryllium disease

TGF :

Transforming growth factor

TNF :

Tumor necrosis factor

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank Stefanie Adam and Carmen Schöne for expert technical assistance. This study was supported in part by the German Research Council (DFG, Mu 692-3/3), the United States Department of Energy (grant DE-FG02-93ER61714 and DE-FG02-ER63416), and a grant from the Guzzini Foundation. Major parts of this study were performed in the Medical Hospital of the Research Center, Borstel, Germany.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Medical University Hospital Freiburg, Department of Pneumology, Killianstrasse 5, 79106, Freiburg, Germany

    Karoline I. Gaede & Joachim Müller-Quernheim

  2. Research Center Borstel, 23845, Borstel, Germany

    Karoline I. Gaede

  3. Department of Internal Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, 00133, Rome, Italy

    Massimo Amicosante & Cesare Saltini

  4. Institute of Human Genetics, University Lübeck, 23538, Lübeck, Germany

    Manfred Schürmann

  5. Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Department of Pulmonary and Allergic Diseases, 64239 Tel Aviv, Israel

    Elisabeth Fireman

Authors
  1. Karoline I. Gaede
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  2. Massimo Amicosante
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  3. Manfred Schürmann
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  4. Elisabeth Fireman
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  5. Cesare Saltini
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  6. Joachim Müller-Quernheim
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Correspondence to Karoline I. Gaede.

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Gaede, K.I., Amicosante, M., Schürmann, M. et al. Function associated transforming growth factor-β gene polymorphism in chronic beryllium disease. J Mol Med 83, 397–405 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00109-004-0626-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00109-004-0626-0

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