Gene polymorphism of Il-18 as a pro-inflammatory mediator and susceptibility of diabetes type 1in Egyptian children.

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is a chronic immune-mediated disease and is the most common autoimmune disorder in childhoodbut the disease may become manifest at any age. It is characterized by selective loss of insulin-producing β-cells in the pancreatic islets in genetically susceptible subjects.Interleukin- 18 (IL-18) is a proinflammatory cytokinethat was originally identified as an interferon-γ inducing factor.It plays a critical role in chronic inflammation, in autoimmune diseases, and in a number of infectious diseases. Functional variants of IL18 gene has been reported as associated with T1D.the purpose of this was to investigate the role of IL-18 gene polymorphism (-607 A/C)in the prediction of T1D in the Egyptian children. One hundred and four patients with T1D and 116 healthy controls, IL- 18 promoter genotyping at -607 (rs1946518) position was analyzed with sequence-specific PCR(PCR/SSP).Therewas no significant association between polymorphisms in SNPs of IL-18 (rs1946518A/C) and T1D risk in Egyptian population,However, the results suggest an association of genotypes with age at onset of T1D.Our preliminary data suggested that polymorphisms in the IL-18 gene may not contribute to T1D susceptibility. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first one that deals with IL-18 gene polymorphism in T1D patients in Egypt. Although, further studies with large sample size should be conducted to validate these results in Egyptian population.