ISLET AMYLOID POLYPEPTIDE GENE - NO EVIDENCE OF ABNORMAL PROMOTER REGION IN 35 TYPE-2 DIABETIC-PATIENTS

Aberrant expression of the IAPP gene may be involved in the pathogenes is and islet amyloid formation of type 2 (non-insulin dependent) diabe tes mellitus. We sequenced 536 basepairs in the 5'-upstream sequence o f the gene of 35 Japanese with this disease and 3 patients with maturi ty-onset diabetes in the young. The sequences corresponding to both al leles of the gene were identical to one another and to the sequence of subjects without diabetes mellitus except for one allelic variation o f 'A' and 'C' at the position -230. Analysis by allele specific polyme rase chain reaction revealed no significant difference in frequency of the variation at this position between normal and type 2 diabetic sub jects. We conclude that the 5' region of the IAPP gene is highly conse rved and only 1 DNA polymorphism is detected and that this polymorphis m does not associate with type 2 diabetes mellitus.