Perfiles de metilación en la región promotora de IL10 en saliva de niños asmáticos

Abstract

Background: There is limited information available on epigenetic studies associated with asthma in Andean populations of Latin America. Objective: To identify and compare the percentage of DNA methylation in the promoter region of the gene encoding IL10 in search of differences associated with an asthma phenotype between asthmatic children and children free of the disease in the Cuenca population. Methods: A case-control study was carried out in asthmatic (cases) and non-asthmatic (controls) children between 5 and 11 years old in the city of Cuenca-Ecuador. Data on asthma, allergic diseases and risk factors were collected through questionnaires applied to the parents. Atopy was measured by skin prick tests on a panel of 14 aeroallergens. Methylation profile of the IL10 promoter region was performed by real-time PCR in a QuantStudio 12K using the OneStep qMethyl ™ kit. The differences in the percentage of methylation between cases and controls were analyzed using a multiple linear regression model, adjusting for those variables that were significant in the T tests or Fisher's test. Results: No significant differences were found in the percentage of methylation of the promoter region of the IL10 gene between cases and controls (𝛃 = 9.33, 95% CI -3.8-22.5, P = 0.16). However, when comparing cases and controls, a trend of a higher percentage of methylation of the promoter region of the gene was observed in the cases, which biologically could be associated with a decrease in its expression. Conclusions: No associations were found between the methylation profile of the IL10 promoter region and asthma in children. Future studies of methylation in other genes that could influence the course of asthma in children should be considered. IL10 could be considered as a future candidate for a study of polymorphisms in the population, as well as for the analysis of miRNAs, mutations, or polymorphisms in intronic regions of the gene.