Related Experiment Videos
Genes within the major histocompatibility complex predict NIDDM in African-American women in Alabama
R T Acton1, J M Roseman, D S Bell
1Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Objective:
To test the hypothesis that genes within the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) are associated with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and, subsequently, non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) in African-American women.
Research Design And Methods:
African-American women who presented with GDM were compared with pregnant African-American control subjects. Following pregnancy, GDM patients were assessed at various intervals of time (median = 6 years) to determine whether they had developed diabetes.
Results:
GDM patients who required insulin during pregnancy possessed a significantly higher frequency of A33, DR2, DR9, and BF-S phenotypes than control subjects. GDM patients who subsequently developed NIDDM had a significantly higher frequency of B41, DR2, and BF-S and a lower frequency of DR1 and DR6 phenotypes than control subjects. Even after controlling for age and body mass index, B41 and DR2 were independent predictors of developing insulin-requiring GDM and NIDDM in GDM subjects.
Conclusions:
These results suggest that either one or more genes within the MHC are involved in the etiology of NIDDM.