BackgroundADAM33 has been identified as an asthma-associated gene in an out-bred population. Genetic studies suggested that the functional role of this metalloprotease was in airway remodeling. However, the mechanistic roles of the disease-associated SNPs have yet to be elucidated especially in the context of the pathophysiology of asthma. One disease-associated SNP, BC+1, which resides in intron BC toward the 5' end of ADAM33, is highly associated with the disease.
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