title: HLA-G 14-bp polymorphism affects the age of onset in Type I Diabetes Mellitus.
abstract: Type I diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is an organ-specific autoimmune disorder affecting the insulin-producing pancreatic cells. T1DM genetic association studies have so far revealed the involvement of more than 40 loci, with particularly strong associations for the human leucocyte antigens (HLA). Further to the well-established HLA class II associations, the immunomodulatory elements in the telomeric major histocompatibility complex locus, specifically nonclassical HLA class I, were also associated with T1DM, either in conferring susceptibility or by contributing to the overall pathogenesis. This study investigates the involvement of a 14-bp deletion polymorphism (rs371194629) at the 3' untranslated region of HLA-G in the context of T1DM and age of onset. The frequency of the polymorphism was determined in unrelated T1DM Cypriot patients and findings that emerge from this study show a strong association between the HLA-G 14-bp polymorphism and T1DM with respect to the age of onset. Specifically, the deletion/deletion (DEL/DEL) genotype was found to be associated with an early age of onset (P = 0.001), while the presence of the insertion allele (INS) was associated to a later age of onset (P = 0.0001), portraying a possible dominant effect over the deletion allele, a role in delaying disease onset and an overall involvement of HLA-G in the pathogenesis of type I diabetes mellitus.
authors.affiliation: Karaiskakio Foundation, Nicosia, Cyprus.|Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gerasimou
authors.affiliation: Division of Paediatric Endocrinology, Paedi Centre for Specialized Paediatrics, Nicosia, Cyprus.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Skordis
authors.affiliation: Alithia Endocrinology Centre, Nicosia, Cyprus.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Picolos
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology/BMT Unit, University Hospital of Patras (PGNP), Rio, Greece.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spyridonidis
authors.affiliation: Karaiskakio Foundation, Nicosia, Cyprus.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Costeas
mesh_terms: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions / Q000235:genetics; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000483:Alleles; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D056726:Genetic Association Studies; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D059951:HLA-G Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D017384:Sequence Deletion / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D020413:3' Untranslated Regions; D059951:HLA-G Antigens