[The 869C>T And 915G>C Polymorphisms of TGF-β1 and Type 1 Diabetic Retinopathy in the Algerian Population]

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is characterized by chronic low-grade inflammation in which the effects of genetic factors is well established. The objective of our study is to explore an association of the 869C>T and 915G>C polymorphisms of the TGF-β1 gene with type 1 diabetic retinopathy in the Algerian population.

A case-control study was carried out in which the SNPs 869C>T and 915G>C of the TGF-β₁ gene were analysed by the PCR-SSP technique. We compared the distribution of allelic and genotypic frequencies between patients with and without retinopathy and looked for an association between these polymorphisms and certain clinical characteristics of and risk factors for diabetic retinopathy.

A significant increase in the frequencies of the C allele (P=0.03) and GG genotype (P=0.007) of the 915 G>C polymorphism were found, respectively, in patients without and with retinopathy. However, no significant difference was found for allelic and genotypic frequencies of the 869C>T SNP (all P>0.05) or associations between genotypes and clinical characteristics or risk factors for DR.

Our preliminary results suggest that the C allele of the 915 G>C polymorphism of TGF-β₁ is protective against type 1 diabetic retinopathy in the Algerian population, while the GG genotype could confer susceptibility to it.