T-CELL RECEPTOR BETA CHAIN POLYMORPHISMS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES

  • 1 October 1987
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 70  (1) , 152-157
Abstract
We investigated the T cell receptor constant beta chain (TCR C.beta.)genes of patients with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) using DNA restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis. Genomic DNA from patients and controls was digested with the restriction endonuclease Bg1 II and transferred to nylon filters using the Southern blot procedure. This enzyme identifies a polymorphic site between the two TCR C.beta. chain genes. We have found a highly significant increase in the frequency of the 10.0; 9.2 kilobase heterozygous phenotype in patients with IDDM (62.7% versus 42.0% in normal controls; P = 0.0006). In identical twins pairs, this association was most striking in those concordant for IDDM (79.2% versus 42.0% in controls; P = 0.0006).