ADAM33 gene

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Asthma gene discovered        July 10 – Scientists held out new hope for asthma sufferers on Wednesday as they revealed the identity of a rogue gene closely linked to the ailment suffered by millions across the globe.             A team of British and American scientists who spent five years mapping the genes of 460 pairs of siblings eventually tracked down a gene they dubbed ADAM33 which they blamed for the condition that leads to asthma attacks.        ADAM33 –  A Disintegrin And Metalloprotease, is the first gene linked to bronchial hypersensitiveness or twitchy airways which overreact to environmental stimuli and produce the classic coughing and shortness of breath that plagues asthma victims.        The airways in asthma patients undergo a number of changes such as thickening of the airway walls and subsequent narrowing of the airway passage, Stephen Holgate, research professor at Southampton University medical school told Nature magazine.        Our studies suggest ADAM33 plays a role in this remodeling and may underlie abnormalities in asthmatic airway function, he added.        Asthma affects millions of men, women and children across the globe, accounting for the deaths of 5,000 people each year in the United States as well as 10 million missed school days and 134 million days of restricted activity.        Asthma tends to run in families, and many people have believed for years that its underlying cause was genetic but attacks were brought on by local environmental conditions.        We

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