We tested the presence of specific eQTLs in the lung and bronchial epithelium, with a focus on IL1RL1 regulation, and we assessed their role in regulating epithelial IL1RL1 expression after stimulation with known asthma factors implicated in disease exacerbation, such as human rhinovirus 16 (RV-16), a known modulator of IL-33 expression (14); European house dust mite (HDM) extract; and in an artificially IL-33 rich environment. This evidence concerns the gene IL33 and asthma.