E23K polymorphism of the KCNJ11 gene in Korean children with type 1 diabetes.

BACKGROUND This study was undertaken to evaluate the association of the E23K polymorphism of KCNJ11 and type 1 diabetes in a Korean population. METHODS Clinical variables from 70 Korean children with type 1 diabetes were analyzed. Patients' DNA was screened for the E23 locus in the KCNJ11 gene. Each genotype frequency and clinical characteristics according to the genotypes were compared between the patient and control groups. RESULTS The genotype frequencies of the KCNJ11 E23 polymorphic locus in the patient group were 30.0% for EE, 44.3% for EK, and 25.7% for KK. We detected no differences in genotype frequencies between the patient and control groups. Additionally, in the patient group, no difference was detected in the clinical phenotypes among the three genotypes. CONCLUSION Although a rather small sample size constituted a limitation of this study, the association of the E23K polymorphism with type 1 diabetes was not statistically significant in the Korean population evaluated.