Association of IFN-¹ Gene Polymorphism with Type 1 Diabetes in Iranian Patients

Background: Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is a chronic and progressive autoimmune disorder.Cytokines play a critical role in the pathogenesis of T1D. Objective: IFN-¹ polymorphism was investigated in T1D and compared with normal controls. Methods: Thirty patients suffering from T1D and 40 normal controls were studied simultaneously using PCR technique. IFN-¹ gene was evaluated at position 5’UTR +5644. Results: There was a significant difference between patient and control groups in TT genotype (P<0.05). Conclusion: In this study, we found a negative association between IFN-¹ gene at position 5’UTR +5644 and T1D in Iranian patients pointing to T allele as a protective factor against T1D.