Molecular genetics of type 1 diabetes mellitus: Achievements and future trends

Abstract

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a widespread, severe disease which results from the immunologically mediated destruction of the beta-cells of pancreatic Langerhans islets. To date the several loci involved to the T1DM development have been reliably identified by means of a number of approaches: MHC locus, VNTR within 5'-nontranscibed region of insulin (INS) gene, CTLA4 gene, encoding surface receptor of T cells, PTPN22 and PTPN2 genes, encoding tyrosine phosphatases of T lymphocytes, interleukin 2 (IL2) gene and alpha-chain of its receptor gene (IL2RA), as well as KIAA0350 gene (unknown function) and IFIH1 gene, encoding receptor of double-stranded DNA generated during viral infections. The functional analysis of proteins encoded by the genes, which are involved to the T1DM development, performed to confirm the hypothesis that on the one hand the origin of T1DM development is founded on the some deregulation of mechanisms of the immune tolerance formation and on the other hand the cause is founded on the formation of destructive immune response against own proteins of organism after virus infection or some other immune stress. Thus the protein products of MHC, INS, PTPN22 and PTPN2 genes involve in the formation in thymus of T-lymphocyte repertoire, which provides the immune defense of organism. On the other hand the nonspecific activation of T cells, from that starts the autoimmune destruction of beta-cells of Langerhans islets of pancreas, in all probability, connects with the protein products of CTLA4, IL2, IL2RA genes, and, perhaps, PTPN22 and PTPN2 genes. The only exception, if not considering the genes with unknown function,--is the IFIH1 gene, but its association with T1DM confirms that fact, that the certain types of virus infection can lead to the activation of autoreactive T cells and T1DM development.