THE SEARCH FOR IDDM SUSCEPTIBILITY GENES - THE NEXT-GENERATION

Two human chromosomal regions, the HLA region on chromosome 6p21 and t he insulin gene region on chromosome 11p15, have been investigated in detail for more than 10 years for the presence of IDDM susceptibility genes. Recent genome searches indicate the possible existence of many additional susceptibility genes in IDDM. The lengthy and protracted st udies to prove the linkage and identity of the susceptibility genes in the HLA and insulin gene regions provide a perspective and background for understanding the complexities and time course for characterizati on of the putative additional IDDM susceptibility genes uncovered by g enome searches.