LACK OF ASSOCIATION BETWEEN A POLYMORPHISM IN THE CODING REGION OF THE THYROTROPIN RECEPTOR GENE AND GRAVES-DISEASE

Using a combination of polymerase chain reaction amplification, oligon ucleotide mismatch hybridization, and direct sequencing, we analyzed t he distribution of a recently described TSH receptor gene polymorphism in 88 patients with Graves' disease but no clinically apparent eye di sease, 53 patients with Graves' disease and associated ophthalmopathy, 39 patients with autoimmune hypothyroidism, and 156 control subjects. No significant difference in the distribution of this polymorphism wa s found between either group of Graves' patients, the hypothyroid pati ents, or the control group. These results suggest that this coding reg ion polymorphism is not associated with the occurrence of Graves' dise ase or Graves' ophthalmopathy.