title: Lack of association between the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene (I/D) polymorphism and diabetic nephropathy in Tunisian type 2 diabetic patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present study was to investigate whether the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism is associated with diabetic nephropathy and type 2 diabetes in the Tunisian population.
  
  
  METHODS
  A case-control study was conducted among 141 unrelated type 2 diabetic patients with (90 patients) or without nephropathy (51 patients) and 103 non-diabetic controls with normal fasting blood glucose. Genotyping was performed using a nested polymerase chain reaction amplification in order to identify correctly heterozygous individuals.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The distribution of DD, ID and II genotypes did not significantly differ between type 2 diabetic patients with or without nephropathy (DD: 44%; ID: 46%; II: 10% vs. DD: 41%; ID: 47 %; II: 12%, respectively). There was also no significant statistical difference between the genotype distribution and allele frequencies of the (I/D) polymorphism in all type 2 diabetic subjects compared to non-diabetic controls with normal fasting blood glucose (DD: 43%; ID: 46%; II: 11% vs. DD: 37%; ID: 48%; II: 15%, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the present preliminary study, the (I/D) polymorphism within the ACE gene is likely not associated with diabetic nephropathy nor with type 2 diabetes in the Tunisian studied population.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Investigation of Genetic Orphan Diseases Research Unit, Institut Pasteur de Tunis. Tunis, Tunisia.
authors.forename: Imen
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Arfa
authors.forename: Abdelmajid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Abid
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nouira
authors.forename: Houda
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Elloumi-Zghal
authors.forename: Dhafer
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Malouche
authors.forename: Imen
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mannai
authors.forename: Mohamed Majdi
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Zorgati
authors.forename: Nissaf
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ben Alaya
authors.forename: Ahmed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rebai
authors.forename: Béchir
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zouari
authors.forename: Slim
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ben Ammar
authors.forename: Mohamed Chiheb
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Ben Rayana
authors.forename: Slama
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hmida
authors.forename: Samira
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Blousa-Chabchoub
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abdelhak
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000235:genetics*; D003928:Diabetic Nephropathies / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / Q000235:genetics*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D014416:Tunisia
chemical_list: D004251:DNA Transposable Elements; D007703:Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A