Human leucocyte antigen and insulin gene regions and nephropathy in type I diabetes.
OBJECTIVE
Diabetic nephropathy seems to have a strong genetic component. Genes involved in the genetic susceptibility to Type I (insulin-dependent) diabetes have been suggested to have a role in the development of diabetic nephropathy. This study aimed to examine the role of human leucocyte antigen and insulin genes in susceptibility to nephropathy in patients with Type I diabetes.


METHODS
We carried out a genetic association study examining insulin gene polymorphisms using three large cohorts of patients with Type I diabetes: nephropathy (n = 258), long duration non-nephropathy (n = 153) and a recently diagnosed (sporadic) diabetic cohort (n = 264). Human leucocyte antigen typing results were obtained in a smaller number due to assay failures (n = 182, 126 and 200 respectively).


RESULTS
No significant difference was seen in the distribution of human leucocyte antigen A, B, C, DR, DQA1 and DQB1 haplotypes and alleles between the three diabetic cohorts. No significant difference was seen in insulin '+' and '-' genotypes and alleles between the three diabetic cohorts.


CONCLUSIONS
Human leucocyte antigen and insulin gene loci are unlikely to have a major role in the susceptibility to nephropathy in Caucasian patients with Type I diabetes in the United Kingdom.
Chowdhury
T A
TA
Department of Medicine, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, UK.
Dyer
P H
PH
Mijovic
C H
CH
Dunger
D B
DB
Barnett
A H
AH
Bain
S C
SC
D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D015234:HLA-A Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D015235:HLA-B Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D015236:HLA-C Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D006683:HLA-DQ Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D059848:HLA-DQ alpha-Chains; D059866:HLA-DQ beta-Chains; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D006239:Haplotypes; D006650:Histocompatibility Testing; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000235:genetics*; D008285:Major Histocompatibility Complex; D008297:Male; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic
D015234:HLA-A Antigens; D015235:HLA-B Antigens; D015236:HLA-C Antigens; D006683:HLA-DQ Antigens; D059848:HLA-DQ alpha-Chains; D059866:HLA-DQ beta-Chains; C069050:HLA-DQA1 antigen; C069051:HLA-DQB1 antigen; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D007328:Insulin; D002784:Cholesterol