Abstract
The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that glutamate cysteine ligase
catalytic subunit (GCLC) promoter polymorphisms are susceptibility factors for type
1 diabetes (T1D), T1D age-at-onset and T1D autoantibodies. T1D patients and control
subjects from the Swedish Childhood Diabetes Registry and the Swedish Diabetes Incidence
Study registry were genotyped for two GCLC promoter polymorphisms; the GCLC -129 C
to T single nucleotide polymorphism (GCLC -129 SNP) and the GCLC GAG trinucleotide
repeat polymorphism (GCLC TNR). Glutamate decarboxylase antibody (GAD65Ab) positive
T1D patients with the GCLC -129 SNP C/T genotype have increased GAD65Ab levels (p-value,
<0.05) compared to the GCLC -129 SNP C/C genotype. T1D patients with an age-at-onset
of 14-35 years who possess the GCLC -129 SNP T/T genotype have a higher GAD65Ab index
than T1D patients with the GCLC -129 SNP C/C genotype (p-value <0.05). In addition,
T1D patients with an age-at-onset of 14-35 years possess the GCLC TNR 7/8 genotype
at a lower frequency than the control subjects (OR, 0.33, 95% CI, 0.13-0.82). The
GCLC -129 SNP and GCLC TNR appear to be in linkage disequilibrium (p-value<0.0001).
These results suggest that GCLC promoter polymorphisms may influence GAD65Ab levels
and may influence the age at which T1D is diagnosed.
Key words
type 1 diabetes - GCLC - promoter polymorphisms - glutathione
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Correspondence
L. M. Bekris
Department of Medicine
University of Washington
Box 358280
Seattle
WA 98195
Phone: +206/277/64 55
Fax: +206/543/31 69