From genotype to phenotype: decoding allergic diseases via integrated multi-omics approaches
From genotype to phenotype: decoding allergic diseases via integrated multi-omics approaches
Allergic diseases, such as food allergy and asthma, often occur together and result from complex interactions between genetic and environmental factors. This thesis of Yidan Sun aims to understand the genetic causes of these diseases and translate these findings into clinical insights.
The first part focuses on the genetics of food allergy. In an international collaboration, we led the largest genetic study on food allergy. We noticed that self-reports of food allergy may have high misclassification. More precise definitions, including measurement of allergic antibodies, provide better power to detect food allergy genes. We also showed that there are shared genetic origins of allergic diseases. In a large adult population of the Northern Netherlands, we applied an improved questionnaire and classification method, identifying a genetic cause of hazelnut allergy and genetically supporting that some food allergies arise through cross-reactivity between pollen and food allergens.
The second part examines factors contributing to asthma. We describe how a blood protein, CC16, relates to lung development. In addition, we explain how different asthma treatments affect expression of genes in nasal cells. Finally, we identify differences between males and females in IgE levels, offering insights into sex-specific patterns in airway immunity and asthma risk.
The studies in this thesis have been published in leading international journals, including Allergy and The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Together, these findings highlight the need for more standardized definitions in allergy research and the value of integrating multiple types of biological data to better understand these complex diseases.