ABSTRACT
Few genes appear to be as critical for the pathogenesis of allergic inflamma-
tion in humans and animal models as interleukin (IL)-13, and even fewer appear to determine susceptibility to allergy and asthma across human
populations as consistently as IL-13. The reason behind the central role
of this cytokine in disease pathogenesis probably lies in the properties of
IL-13, the frequency with which the human IL-13 locus is targeted by nat-
ural genetic variation, and the functional consequences of this variation.
Here we will discuss the properties of IL-13 relevant to allergic lung inflam-
mation; we will review the results of genetic association studies investigating
the relationship between IL-13 polymorphisms and allergic phenotypes; and we will propose a blueprint for functional studies of genetic variation
based on the experience gained through the analysis of a common IL-13
coding variant.
