title: Vitamin D receptor genotype in pancreas allograft: a pilot study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Transplanting of pancreatic grafts is an established treatment for diabetes mellitus. Polymorphisms in genes, coding for proteins involved in an immune response, may influence immunologic and nonimmunologic mechanisms that lead to allograft loss. Vitamin D receptor agonists have been shown to increase long-term allograft survival in humans.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-one pancreatic recipients transplanted in the Transplantation center of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences were selected and genotyped for the polymorphism of the vitamin D receptor genes (FokI), and the association of each genotype with acute rejection was evaluated. A control group of 100 unrelated otherwise healthy individuals, from the Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization were enrolled. The individuals were selected from Shiraz (a city located in Southern Iran), and the genotype frequency was compared with control group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall prevalence acute rejection was 28% (6/21). In the genotype study, homozygous FF presented in 15 patients (71%), heterozygous Ff presented in 6 patients (29%), and no homozygous ff was identified. In the control group, there were 50% with FF, 48% with Ff, and 2% with the ff genotype identified. The only genotype that was detected in rejection group was FF, while the frequency of FF in the nonrejection group was 60%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study examined several patients to determine whether the vitamin D receptor (FokI) genotype is involved in acute allograft rejection and requires deeper investigation.
authors.affiliation: Organ Transplant Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
authors.forename: Marjan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rahsaz
authors.forename: Negar
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Azarpira
authors.forename: Saman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nikeghbalian
authors.forename: Bita
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Geramizadeh
authors.forename: Mahdokht Hossein
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Aghdaie
authors.forename: Masumeh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Daraie
authors.forename: Elaheh
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Esfandiari
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ayatollahi
authors.forename: Ramin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yaghubi
authors.forename: Mohammad Hossein
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Karimi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016035:Pancreas Transplantation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015995:Prevalence; D018167:Receptors, Calcitriol / Q000235:genetics*; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D018167:Receptors, Calcitriol