title: Family-based association study of HLA class II with type 1 diabetes in Moroccans.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The T1D is a multifactorial disease; with a strong genetic control. The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system plays a crucial role in the autoimmune process leading to childhood diabetes. About 440,000 of the childhood population of the world (1.8 billion children under 14 years of age), have type 1 diabetes, and each year an additional 70,000 develop this disorder. The objective of this study was to investigate the distribution of HLA class II in Moroccan families of diabetic children to identify susceptibility alleles of the Moroccan population.
  
  
  METHODS
  We included in this study, Moroccan families who have at least one child with T1D. The age of onset of diabetes was less than 15 years. HLA class II (DRB1* and DQB1*) was carried out by molecular biology techniques (PCR-SSP and PCR-SSO). The FBAT test (family-based association test) was used to highlight the association between T1D and the HLA-DRB1* and -DQB1* polymorphism.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The association of HLA class II (DRB1*, DQB1*) in type 1 diabetes was analyzed in fifty-one Moroccan families, including 90 diabetics. The results revealed that the most susceptible haplotypes are the DRB1*03:01-DQB1*02:01, DRB1*04:05-DQB1*03:02 (Z=3.674, P=0.000239; Z=2.828, P=0.004678, respectively). And the most protective haplotype is the DRB1*15-DQB1*06.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first family-based association study searching for an association between HLA class II and T1D in a Moroccan population. Despite the different ethnic groups forming Morocco, Moroccan diabetics share the most susceptible and protective HLA haplotypes with other Caucasians populations, specifically the European and Mediterranean populations.
authors.affiliation: UPR d'immunologie, faculté de médecine et de pharmacie, Rabat Institut, avenue Mohamed Belarbi El Alaoui, BP 6203, 10000 Rabat, Morocco; Unité d'immunologie, service de transfusion sanguine et d'hémovigilance, hôpital d'enfants-Rabat, Rabat Institut, CHU Ibn-Sina, rue Lamfadel Cherkaoui, BP 6527, Rabat, Morocco. Electronic address: drissiasmaa@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Drissi Bourhanbour
authors.affiliation: UPR d'immunologie, faculté de médecine et de pharmacie, Rabat Institut, avenue Mohamed Belarbi El Alaoui, BP 6203, 10000 Rabat, Morocco; Unité d'immunologie, service de transfusion sanguine et d'hémovigilance, hôpital d'enfants-Rabat, Rabat Institut, CHU Ibn-Sina, rue Lamfadel Cherkaoui, BP 6527, Rabat, Morocco.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Benseffaj
authors.affiliation: UPR d'immunologie, faculté de médecine et de pharmacie, Rabat Institut, avenue Mohamed Belarbi El Alaoui, BP 6203, 10000 Rabat, Morocco; Unité d'immunologie, service de transfusion sanguine et d'hémovigilance, hôpital d'enfants-Rabat, Rabat Institut, CHU Ibn-Sina, rue Lamfadel Cherkaoui, BP 6527, Rabat, Morocco.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ouadghiri
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de biostatistique, recherche clinique et epidémiologie, faculté de médecine et de pharmacie, Rabat Institut, avenue Mohamed Belarbi El Alaoui, BP 6203, 10000 Rabat, Morocco.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Razine
authors.affiliation: Service de diabétologie pédiatrique, hôpital d'enfants-Rabat, Rabat Institut, CHU Ibn-Sina, rue Lamfadel Cherkaoui, BP 6527, Rabat, Morocco.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Touzani
authors.affiliation: Service de diabétologie pédiatrique, hôpital d'enfants-Rabat, Rabat Institut, CHU Ibn-Sina, rue Lamfadel Cherkaoui, BP 6527, Rabat, Morocco.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Belafraj
authors.affiliation: UPR d'immunologie, faculté de médecine et de pharmacie, Rabat Institut, avenue Mohamed Belarbi El Alaoui, BP 6203, 10000 Rabat, Morocco; Unité d'immunologie, service de transfusion sanguine et d'hémovigilance, hôpital d'enfants-Rabat, Rabat Institut, CHU Ibn-Sina, rue Lamfadel Cherkaoui, BP 6527, Rabat, Morocco.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Essakalli
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005802:Genes, MHC Class II; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D055106:Genome-Wide Association Study / Q000379:methods*; D006681:HLA-D Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D059866:HLA-DQ beta-Chains / Q000235:genetics; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009018:Morocco / Q000453:epidemiology; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006681:HLA-D Antigens; D059866:HLA-DQ beta-Chains; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains
keywords: Family-based association study; HLA class II; HLA classe II; Haplotypes; Type I diabetes; diabète type 1; Étude d’association familiale