NeuroD1 gene and interleukin-18 gene polymorphisms in type 1 diabetes in Dalmatian population of Southern Croatia.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the frequency of known polymorphisms in the exon 2 of the NeuroD1 gene and in the interleukin (IL)-18 promoter region in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and in healthy control subjects in Dalmatia, Southern Croatia.


METHODS
A total of 134 unrelated patients (73 men and 61 women) and 132 consecutive unrelated healthy controls (61 men and 71 women) from the Dalmatian region of southern Croatia were recruited for the study. NeuroD1 genotypes (GG, GA, AA) were identified by means of polymerase chain reaction followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR/RFLP). IL-18 polymorphism in the position -137 of the promoter region was detected by using PCR sequence-specific primers.


RESULTS
Genotype distributions of both genes did not show significant difference between patients and controls.


CONCLUSIONS
Our results suggest that NeuroD1 exon 2 and IL-18 promoter gene polymorphisms are not associated with development of T1DM susceptibility in the population of South Croatia. In addition to previously published positive correlations of these polymorphisms with development of T1DM among different world populations, our findings indicate the existence of ethnic variations in the association of these genes with disease development.
Boraska
Vesna
V
Department of Biology, Split University School of Medicine, Split, Croatia. vboraska@bsb.mefst.hr
Terzić
Janos
J
Skrabić
Veselin
V
Caćev
Tamara
T
Bucević-Popović
Viljemka
V
Peruzović
Marijana
M
Markotić
Anita
A
Zemunik
Tatijana
T
D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D017523:Croatia; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005828:Genetics, Population; D006801:Humans; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic
D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D020382:Interleukin-18; C093970:NEUROD1 protein, human