Here, we tested the hypothesis that the zona pellucida-binding protein 2 (ZPBP2) gene residing in this region contributes to asthma pathogenesis using a mouse model.
Chromosomal region 17q12-q21 is associated with asthma and harbors regulatory polymorphisms that influence expression levels of all five protein-coding genes in the region: IKAROS family zinc finger 3 (Aiolos) (IKZF3), zona pellucida binding protein 2 (ZPBP2), ORMDL sphingolipid biosynthesis regulator 3 (ORMDL3), and gasdermins A and B (GSDMA, GSDMB).
The first GWAS was published in 2007, and described a new locus associated to asthma in chromosome 17q12-q21, involving the ORMDL3, GSDMB and ZPBP2 genes (a description of the genes named in the manuscript are listed in Table 1).
We evidenced a new locus in the 16q12 region (near cylindromatosis turban tumor syndrome gene [CYLD]) and confirmed 4 asthma risk regions: 2q12 (IL-1 receptor-like 1 [IL1RL1]), 6p21 (HLA-DQA1), 9p24 (IL33), and 17q12-q21 (zona pellucida binding protein 2 [ZPBP2]-gasdermin A [GSDMA]).
Combined with the results of the present work, these data converge pointing to the same 5 kb region within the ZPBP2 gene as a critical region for both gene expression regulation and predisposition to asthma.
We found that a single nucleotide polymorphism rs4795397 influences the activity of ZPBP2 promoter in vitro in an allele-dependent fashion, and also leads to nucleosome repositioning on the asthma-associated allele.