Gene discovery offers hope for eczema and asthma sufferers

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Gene discovery offers hope for eczema and asthma sufferers

THE gene that causes dry skin and predisposes people to eczema and asthma has been identified by scientists.

The discovery could lead to new treatments for conditions that affect millions of people.

According to researchers at the University of Dundee, the gene is the one whose job it is to create the protein filaggrin, which is normally found in the outermost layers of the skin.

The protein is vital to ensure that the skin forms a barrier to keep water in and foreign organisms out.

All genes come in pairs, so the degree of disability depends on whether people have a single defective copy or two. About 10per cent of the population carry a single defective copy, and have dry and flaky skin. But those with two defective copies -- about 1 in 500 people -- make no filaggrin and have a severe and persistent disease called ichthyosis vulgaris.

Common observation over many years has suggested a strong link between eczema, allergies and asthma. Children who have one tend to have the others, and doctors call the combination of symptoms atopic disease. Believing the likely cause to be a malfunction of the immune system, scientists in the past have looked for a common factor in immune system genes, but without complete success.

The new research, which is reported in the journal Nature Genetics, suggests that one common factor is filaggrin.

Working with teams from Dublin, Glasgow, Seattle and Copenhagen, the Dundee team, led by Irwin McLean, found several strong links:

* In families affected by ichthyosis vulgaris, a significant association was found between filaggrin mutations and eczema;

* About two-thirds of a group of Irish children with eczema were found to carry filaggrin mutations;

* Among Scottish children with asthma there was a very strong link between filaggrin mutations and eczema;

* A Danish study suggested that more than 60 per cent of children carrying filaggrin mutations get eczema in the first two years of life.

Professor McLean said: "Finding this gene for atopic dermatitis (eczema) and asthma allows us for the first time to understand what goes wrong in the skin of these patients and paves the way for development of new treatments or preventative measures."

The findings suggest that the weakness in the skin barrier allows allergens access, triggering the immune system changes that then lead to diseases such as asthma. The filaggrin gene is unlikely to be the sole cause of the condition.

The Times