FAILURE TO DETECT GLUT4-ILE(383) AND IR-GLN(1152) VARIANTS IN NIDDM (NON-INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES-MELLITUS) AND CONTROL SUBJECTS IN AN ITALIAN POPULATION

Insulin receptor (IR) and insulin-responsive glucose transporter (Glut4) represent two candidate genes involved in the development of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM); detection of molecular alterations in these genes might explain their possible contribution to NIDDM. Recently, mutations within the coding region of IR and Glut4 have identified: they include the Glut4(Ile383) and IR(Gln1152) variants which were found at low frequencies in diabetic Caucasian populations. In this study Italian NIDDM patients and control subjects were analysed and mutated alleles were not found. Therefore in our population these variants appear to have little relevance to the genetic susceptibility to NIDDM