Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4) has an inhibitory function on T cells and is critical for the induction of peripheral tolerance. CTLA-4 +49 G allele affects the CTLA-4 function and has been reported to be correlated with a higher risk of various autoimmune diseases including type 1 diabetes (TIDM). The present study was conducted to investigate the association between the polymorphism of the CTLA-4 exon 1 +49 A/G and susceptibility to TIDM in Kurds living in Iranian kurdistan. The +49 A/G polymorphism was analyzed in 64 patients with TIDM, 60 patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM ) and 107 control subjects with no history of autoimmune disease using PCR-SSCP and PCR-RFLP methods..
