title: CTLA4 alanine-17 confers genetic susceptibility to Graves' disease and to type 1 diabetes mellitus.
abstract: The genetic susceptibility to Graves' disease and type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes mellitus is conferred by genes in the human leukocyte antigen region on the short arm of chromosome 6, but several other genes are presumed to determine disease susceptibility. Among those candidate genes is the cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA4) located on chromosome 2q33 in man. We investigated the distribution of the CTLA4 exon 1 polymorphism (49 A/G) in Graves' disease and IDDM. This dimorphism at codon 17 results in an amino acid exchange (Thr/Ala) in the leader peptide of the expressed protein and was analyzed by PCR, single strand conformation polymorphism, and restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis in 305 patients with Graves' disease, 293 patients with IDDM, and 325 controls. Patients with Graves' disease had significantly more Ala alleles than controls, both as homozygotes (21% vs. 13%) and as heterozygotes (53% vs. 46%), and less Thr as homozygotes (26% vs. 42%; P < 2 x 10(-4). The phenotypic frequency of Ala-positive patients (73%) was significantly higher than of controls (58%; P = 10(-4); relative risk = 2). Patients with IDDM also had significantly more Ala alleles as homozygotes (19%) or heterozygotes (50%; P = 0.01). In conclusion, an alanine at codon 17 of CTLA4 is associated with genetic susceptibility to Graves' disease as well as to IDDM.
authors.affiliation: Medical Department I, Klinikum of the J. W. Goethe University, Frankfurt/Main, Germany.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Donner
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rau
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Walfish
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Braun
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Siegmund
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Finke
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Herwig
authors.forename: K H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Usadel
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Badenhoop
mesh_terms: D000069594:Abatacept; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000409:Alanine / Q000235:genetics*; D000483:Alleles; D015703:Antigens, CD; D000943:Antigens, Differentiation / Q000235:genetics*; D060908:CTLA-4 Antigen; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002889:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 2; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000235:genetics*; D005091:Exons; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006111:Graves Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D006683:HLA-DQ Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D059848:HLA-DQ alpha-Chains; D006801:Humans; D018796:Immunoconjugates; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length; D018807:Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D000943:Antigens, Differentiation; D060908:CTLA-4 Antigen; C556706:CTLA4 protein, human; D006683:HLA-DQ Antigens; D059848:HLA-DQ alpha-Chains; C069050:HLA-DQA1 antigen; D018796:Immunoconjugates; D000069594:Abatacept; D000409:Alanine