Genes Linked to Sinusitis

The discovery could lead to new treatments for the respiratory condition
that affects some 37 million Americans, researchers say.
By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Oct. 8 (HealthDayNews) -- A new study contends sinusitis seems
to have genetic underpinnings, and the finding might one day lead to new
treatments for the condition that clogs the nasal passages of some 37
million Americans each year.

After a three-year analysis, Johns Hopkins scientists came to the
conclusion that sinus disease may be caused by genes that produce too
much or too little of certain proteins; one gene shows particular
promise as a possible treatment.

The report appears in the Oct. 8 online issue of the Journal of Allergy
and Clinical Immunology....

The new findings give clues to which genes may play a role in
controlling this illness, the researchers said....

Kim's team found that, when compared with healthy tissue, 192 genes were
up-regulated in diseased tissue and 156 were down-regulated. Why certain
genes do that in sinus disease is not known, Kim said.

"The most interesting finding was that the most down-regulated gene was
the protein CC10," Kim said. "This protein is present in respiratory
tissues and is necessary for neonatal lung development."

In addition, CC10 is being used now to help neonatal lung development in
premature babies, Kim noted. "Perhaps if we were to replace the level of
CC10, we could have a good treatment for sinus disease," she said.

Replacing the levels of CC10 in diseased tissue is the next step in the
team's research, Kim added....

http://drkoop.com/newsdetail/93/521657.html

[
IMHO, this finding is consistent with the Mayo Clinic's own theory of
allergic fungal sinusitis.  Mayo couldn't explain why some patients'
sinuses react to the presence of fungi and other folks don't react that
way.  Perhaps the difference is genetic.
]