Marked shortage of C4B DNA polymorphism among insulin-dependent diabetic patients

TaqI, BamHI and HinddIII polymorphisms of the C4 genes were studied with a 500-bp C4 cDNA probe (pAT-A153) specific for the 5' end of the gene. The restriction patterns obtained were correlated with the C4A and C4B genotypes in 35 patients suffering from insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), and results were compared to those from 40 healthy individuals. The controls, all Caucasian, were genotyped for HLA-A, B, C, DR, Bf, C2 and C4, together with 10 diabetics and their families; haplotypes for the other patients had been deduced using DNA and protein polymorphism, and taking into consideration linkage disequilibrium for neighbouring loci. No significant difference between genotypes at the C4A locus was seen in either population. The C4A gene deletion, associated with a C4B "short" gene (66.7%), was found mainly in the haplotype B8,Cw7,DR3,BfS,C2C, C4AQOB1, and the C4B gene deletion in the haplotype B18,Cw5,DR3,BfF1, C2C,C4A3BQO. When diabetic patients were compared with normal individuals, we observed, at the C4B locus, a decrease in the C4B "long" gene (22% vs. 49% respectively, p less than 0.001). A compensatory increase was observed in patients vs. controls for the frequency of C4BQO, both in the deleted and intact form (26% vs. 10% respectively, p less than 0.03).