Mohamed Jahromi, Adel Ahmed
Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is characterized by the autoimmune destruction of pancreatic β-cells. This study investigates the association between a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the Olfactory Receptor family 14, subfamily J, member 1 (OR14) gene, which is adjacent to the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-F region, and T1D. A case-control study was conducted on a cohort of 983 cases and 576 controls of European Caucasoid origin. Genotyping was performed using Taqman SNP assays. The findings revealed that the OR14-CC genotype was significantly more common in T1D cases compared to controls (p=0.001), as was the OR14-AC genotype, albeit to a lesser extent (p=0.002). No significant gender or age-specific associations were observed. These results corroborate previous familial studies linking the OR14 gene to T1D, suggesting that OR14-CC and OR14-CA genotypes may serve as predictive markers for T1D. The study highlights the potential of the OR14 gene, located in the HLA region, to enhance genetic prediction of T1D, advocating further research in this area for improved prediction and therapeutic approaches.