Association of PTPN22 gene polymorphism with type 1 diabetes mellitus in Chinese children and adolescents

Previous studies have indicated that the protein tyrosine Phosphatase nonreceptor type 22 gene (PTPN22) is associated with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) in the Caucasian population. In the present study, we investigated the relationship between PTPN22 genetic polymorphisms and T1DM in Chinese children. A total of 202 children and adolescents with T1DM and 240 healthy control subjects of Chinese Han origin were included in our analysis. Polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism was used to determine the presence of the C1858T polymorphism in the PTPN22 gene. We found that the TT +TC genotype and the T allele of C1858T were more frequent in T1DM patients (19.40 and 10.0%, respectively) than in healthy subjects (7.51 and 4.0%, respectively), and the difference was significant (both P < 0.001). After adjusting for confounding variables such as gender, age, and family history of T1DM, the difference remained significant (P = 0.007, odds ratio = 2.88, 95% confidence interval 1.76-4.32). Our results indicate that genetic polymorphisms in the PTPN22 gene may increase the risk of T1DM in Chinese children and adolescents.