The following article requires a subscription:



(Format: HTML, PDF)

OBJECTIVE: Epidemiological studies have linked vitamin D deficiency with the susceptibility to type 1 diabetes. Higher levels of the active metabolite 1[alpha],25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1[alpha],25(OH)2D) could protect from immune destruction of the pancreatic [beta]-cells. 1[alpha],25(OH)2D is derived from its precursor 25-hydroxyvitamin D by the enzyme 1[alpha]-hydroxylase encoded by the CYP27B1 gene and is inactivated by 24-hydroxylase encoded by the CYP24A1 gene. Our aim was to study the association between the CYP27B1 and CYP24A1 gene polymorphisms and type 1 diabetes.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We studied 7,854 patients with type 1 diabetes, 8,758 control subjects from the U.K., and 2,774 affected families. We studied four CYP27B1 variants, including common polymorphisms -1260C>A (rs10877012) and 2838T>C (rs4646536) and 16 tag polymorphisms in the CYP24A1 gene.

RESULTS: We found evidence of association with type 1 diabetes for CYP27B1 -1260 and 2838 polymorphisms, which are in perfect linkage disequilibrium. The common C allele of CYP27B1 -1260 was associated with an increased disease risk in the case-control analysis (odds ratio for the C/C genotype 1.22, P = 9.6 x 10-4) and in the fully independent collection of families (relative risk for the C/C genotype 1.33, P = 3.9 x 10-3). The combined P value for an association with type 1 diabetes was 3.8 x 10-6. For the CYP24A1 gene, we found no evidence of association with type 1 diabetes (multilocus test, P = 0.23).

CONCLUSIONS: The present data provide evidence that common inherited variation in the vitamin D metabolism affects susceptibility to type 1 diabetes.

(C) 2007 by the American Diabetes Association, Inc.