CC-chemokine receptor CCR5-del32 mutation as a modifying pathogenetic factor in type I diabetes

The purpose of this study was to determine the CCR5-del32 allele frequency in type I (insulin-dependent) and type II (noninsulin-dependent) diabetes patients, and to test whether and how this mutation is associated with both types of diabetes. Thirty-eight type I diabetes and 111 type II diabetes patients' genotyping was performed by polymerase chain reaction assaying, and amplified products were digested with restriction enzyme EcoRI. The results were analyzed using statistical methods. No statistical differences were found in CCR5-del32 allele frequencies in types I and II diabetes patients compared with the control group of native Estonians. However, an association exists between CCR5 gene polymorphism and the clinical course of type I diabetes. In the case of wild-type CCR5, the disease starts at an earlier age. In type II diabetes, there was a difference between genotypes in morbidity to concomitant diseases, being higher in the CCR5 wild-type genotype.