A meta-analysis raised the number of known genetic loci for allergic sensitization — the presence of allergen-specific antibodies — from 3 to 10, explaining at least a quarter of the trait.
Solid lines are connections this site curates. Dashed lines mean the two ends share a research paper — worth knowing, and not a claim that one explains the other.
Allergic sensitization is the presence of allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE), the antibody central to allergic disease. Someone can be sensitized — carrying IgE against a specific allergen — without necessarily having noticeable allergy symptoms, though sensitization is closely linked to conditions like allergic rhinitis and asthma.
Bonnelykke et al. 2013 ran the first large-scale GWAS of allergic sensitization, in 5,789 cases and 10,056 controls, with follow-up in 6,114 more cases and 9,920 more controls. The study raised the number of known susceptibility loci from 3 to 10, naming TLR6, C11orf30, STAT6, SLC25A46, HLA-DQB1, IL1RL1, LPP, MYC, IL2, and HLA-B. Together, these ten loci accounted for at least 25% of allergic sensitization and allergic rhinitis. This page's own variants match three of the paper's ten named loci directly: rs1059513 in STAT6, rs6906021 in HLA-DQB1, and rs17454584 in IL2.
One more of this page's variants, rs12657787, comes from Waage et al. 2018 — already covered in full on this site's separate Allergic Rhinitis page.
2026-02-20 · Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of food allergy and IgE sensitization. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. 2026. DOI:10.1016/j.jaci.2026.02.012
Food allergy (FA) GWAS have been limited by small sample sizes and inconsistent case definitions. This meta-analysis combined up to 16 European-ancestry cohorts (229,426 adults, 14,234 children), testing multiple FA phenotype definitions (self-report, doctor diagnosis, food-specific sensitization) separately in children and adults. It found 37 SNPs at a suggestive threshold, with two reaching full genome-wide significance: rs116936231 in FGL1 (in adults with doctor-diagnosed FA plus sensitization, stable after adjusting for hay fever) and rs8022829 near AKAP6-NPAS3 (significant only after hay fever adjustment). Neither variant, however, was validated when tested in additional external cohorts and oral food-challenge-confirmed FA cases -- a genuinely honest negative result from a well-powered study, not a small underpowered one. The study did confirm 3 previously reported variants for FA and atopic disease. This is included here specifically as an example of rigorous, well-conducted research that still came up short of a validated new finding -- the field's own conclusion is that FA genetics needs a more unified case definition before further progress, not that these two genes are established FA risk factors.
Allergic sensitization is measured directly with allergy testing (skin prick or specific IgE blood tests), not estimated from genotype. None of the variants here is used clinically to diagnose sensitization or guide allergy treatment.
Being sensitized to an allergen does not necessarily mean someone experiences symptoms from it. Clinical allergy testing and treatment decisions are guided by direct testing and symptom history, not by any variant on this page.
What a 23andMe/AncestryDNA export or raw VCF can and can't tell you about Allergic Sensitization comes down to these specific, well-studied positions — not a diagnosis.
The studies behind these variants recruited participants from different ancestries — a result found in one population doesn't always transfer to another. Based on 7 of 7 linked studies with a resolved discovery ancestry.
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Allergic Sensitization. MyGeneLog™. https://www.mygenelog.com/conditions/allergic-sensitization
Allergic sensitization is the presence of allergen-specific IgE antibody, the immune molecule central to allergic disease. Someone can be sensitized without necessarily having noticeable symptoms.
Studying 5,789 cases and 10,056 controls, replicated in 6,114 more cases and 9,920 more controls, it raised the number of known loci for allergic sensitization from 3 to 10, together accounting for at least 25% of the trait.
No. Allergic sensitization is measured directly with allergy testing, not genotype. This page describes population-level genetic contributions to the trait.
Related but not identical. One of this page's variants comes from the same study behind the Allergic Rhinitis page, but sensitization (carrying allergen-specific IgE) and allergic rhinitis (the clinical condition) are distinct, closely related traits.
Free to reuse. This page's text is original writing from freely-available research, licensed CC BY 4.0 — reuse it, including commercially, with attribution to MyGeneLog™. It's general research-derived information, not medical advice or a diagnosis — see Terms of Use.