Background: TIM-1, a member of the T cell immunoglobulin and mucin (TIM) domain family, is involved in T-cell differentiation and has beenimplicated in allergic diseases. An association between TIM-1 and allergic rhinitis, however, has not been established.

Objective: To investigate whether TIM-1 gene polymorphisms were associated with allergic rhinitis in a Han Chinese population.

Methods: Two TIM-1 promoter single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), -416G>C and -1454G>A, were examined in 185 allergic rhinitis patients of Han Chinese ethnicity using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and restriction fragment length polymorphism. Additionally, exon 4 insertion/deletion polymorphisms in the TIM-1 gene were analyzed by PCR, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and silver staining. The relationship between gene polymorphisms and serum specific IgE levels in this Han Chinese population was also evaluated.

Results: We found that the -416G>C and -1454G>A SNPs were associated with allergic rhinitis susceptibility in this Han Chinese population.
No statistically significant differences in the distribution of genotype or allele frequencies of 5383_5397ins/del and 5509_5511delCAA in exon 4 were observed. The -416G>C and -1454G>A SNPs were associated with the level of serum IgE specific to house dust mites in patients with allergic rhinitis.

Conclusions: These results suggest that TIM-1 gene polymorphisms (-416G>C and -1454G>A) are associated with allergic rhinitis susceptibility in a Han Chinese population.

Key words: T-cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain molecule-1. Gene polymorphisms. Allergic Rhinitis. Chinese Population. Han.