Food allergy disorder linked to gene

CINCINNATI, March 8 (UPI) -- U.S. medical investigators say they have linked a food allergy-related disorder to a so-called master allergy gene.

Researchers led by Dr. Marc Rothenberg at Cincinnati Children's Medical Center Hospital report identifying a region of a human chromosome that is associated with eosinophilic esophagitis, often called EoE, a recently recognized allergic disease.

The scientists said people suffering EoE frequently have difficulty eating or may be allergic to one or more foods, with symptoms varying with age; In children a major symptom is vomiting, while in older children food might become stuck in the esophagus.

The study suggests a suspected so-called master allergy gene might play a role in the development of the rare, but debilitating, disorder.

The researchers, supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, performed a genome-wide association analysis in children with EoE and healthy children. The investigators identified changes in genes within a region on chromosome 5 that were highly associated with EoE, with one gene that encodes a protein called thymic stromal lymphopoietin found more highly expressed in children with the condition than in children without the disorder.

The researchers said the gene might be a master switch that turns on other allergic diseases, such as asthma and atopic dermatitis.

The study appears in the journal Nature Genetics.