Tryptases genes

Tryptase is at the present moment the main clinical marker for anaphylaxis and mastocytosis. There are two major human mast cells tryptases, a- and (3-tryptase, encoded by two genes located at chromosome 16. The haploid genotype for tryptase is (3a or (3(3.25% of individuals are a-tryptase-deficient a-tryptase shows a 90% amino acid sequence identity with (3-tryptase. 

Walls, A.F., Brain, S.D., Desai, A., Jose, P.J., Hawkings, E., Church, M.K. and Williams, T.J. (1992b). Human mast cell tryptase attenuates the vasodilator activity of calcitonin gene-related peptide. Biochem. Pharmacol. 43, 1243-1248. 

Bentley AM, Hamid Q, Robinson DS, et al. Prednisolone treatment in asthma. Reduction in the numbers of eosmophils, T cells, tryptase-only positive mast ceils, and modulation of IL-4, IL-5, and interferon-gamma cytokine gene expression within the bronchial mucosa. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1996 153 551-6. 

Vanderslice PS, Ballinger SM, Tam EK, Goldstein SM, Craik CS, Caughey GH. Human mast ceU tryptase multiple cDNAs and genes reveal a multigene serine protease family. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1990 87 3811-3815. 

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