Association of UBASH3A gene polymorphism and atopic dermatitis in the Chinese Han population

Genome-wide association studies have revealed a large number of genetic-risk loci for many autoimmune diseases. One clear finding emerging from the published genetic studies of autoimmunity is that different autoimmune diseases share susceptibility loci. Recent evidence has demonstrated that UBASH3A gene was associated with multiple autoimmune diseases. The aim of this study was to explore the association between UBASH3A single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and atopic dermatitis (AD) in a Chinese Han population. In total, three UBASH3A SNPs (rs11203203, rs3788013 and rs1893592) were genotyped using TaqMan genotyping assays in a Chinese Han population (1012 cases and 1362 controls). Among these SNPs, we selected the SNP rs1893592 with association values of P<5x10(-2) for AD in the TaqMan genotyping assay data for further replication in the independent Chinese replication samples (1080 cases and 1367 controls) using a Sequenom MassARRAY system. We combined the association results in two stages using meta-analysis. We found that rs1893592 in UBASH3A showed association with AD (P= 1.29x10(-3), odds ratio = 1.16). These results showed that UBASH3A gene SNP is associated with susceptibility to AD. Further fine mapping and functional studies will be required to identify true causal variant in the UBASH3A gene and its exact role in the pathogenesis of AD.