Gene mutations significant in development of peanut allergy

The filaggrin gene is known to have an important role in helping the skin block out potential allergens. Previous work has shown that changes in the filaggrin gene can increase a person's risk of developing eczema and asthma. Now a new study has found people with a loss-of-function mutation in the filaggrin gene are three times more likely to develop peanut allergy than people with normal copies of the gene.

The study included 71 people from Ireland, Canada and the Netherlands who had challenge-proven peanut allergy, plus a control population of 1,000 English people who did not have peanut allergy. Replication of the results was tested in a follow-up investigation in Canada in which 309 people with peanut allergy and 891 controls participated.

The study findings indicate one in five people with peanut allergy has a defect in the filaggrin gene. Therefore, while it is not the only cause of peanut allergies, it must have a significant role in the etiology of peanut allergy, and may be important in the development of other food allergies.

Reference: Brown et al. 2011. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology Vol 127(3) , pp. 661-667. DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2011.01.031.