Mohammad Javad Fattahi; Abdul Mohammad Pezeshki; Maryam Emad; Mohammad Hosein Lohrasb; Azra Shamseddin; Abbas Ghaderi; Mehrnoosh Doroudchi
Volume 2, Issue 2 , June 2005, , Pages 97-102
Abstract
Background: Vitiligo is an acquired skin disorder that selectively destroys melanocytes in epidermis with an unknown etiology. Objective: To investigate the exon 1 A49G polymorphism of cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (ctla-4) gene in vitiligo patients. Methods: The A49G polymorphism was ...
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Background: Vitiligo is an acquired skin disorder that selectively destroys melanocytes in epidermis with an unknown etiology. Objective: To investigate the exon 1 A49G polymorphism of cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (ctla-4) gene in vitiligo patients. Methods: The A49G polymorphism was detected by Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method in 101 patients and 208 normal healthy age/ethnicity matched individuals. Results: The frequencies of heterozygote genotypes in patients and controls were found to be 42 (41.6%) of 101 and 85 (40.9%) of 208, respectively. The frequencies of homozygote A and G genotypes were 49 (48.5%) and 10 (9.9%) in 101 patients, whereas, these frequencies in 208 control individuals were 103 (49.5%) and 20 (9.6%), respectively. There was no significant difference between the genotype (P = 0.98) and allele (P = 0.86) frequencies of A49G polymorphism in patients and normal healthy individuals. Conclusion: Our results indicate that in contrast to several immune mediated disorders, there is no association between ctla-4 A49G gene polymorphism and vitiligo.
Fatemeh Vahedi Darmian; Soheila Joubeh; Mehrnoosh Doroudchi; Behnam Abdollahi; Abbas Ghaderi
Volume 1, Issue 1 , June 2004, , Pages 48-55
Abstract
Background: Vitiligo is a dermatological disorder of unknown etiology with a common incidence in southern Iran. Presence of autoantibodies to melanocyte antigens suggested an autoimmune basis of the disease. Objective: In this study, the presence of rheumatoid factor (RF) in sera and skin biopsies of ...
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Background: Vitiligo is a dermatological disorder of unknown etiology with a common incidence in southern Iran. Presence of autoantibodies to melanocyte antigens suggested an autoimmune basis of the disease. Objective: In this study, the presence of rheumatoid factor (RF) in sera and skin biopsies of vitiligo patients was investigated. Methods: The presence of RF in sera of 35 vitiligo and 32 normal individuals was assessed by an indirect ELISA assay. In addition, the presence of IgM, IgG, and IgA immunoglobulins in the biopsy lesions of patients was also investigated by Immunoperoxidase test. Results: IgM-RF and IgA-RF were detected in sera of 50% and 20% of patients, respectively. Five out of 35 (15%) revealed to produce both IgM and IgA rheumatoid factors. The rheumatoid factor activity of the deposited immunoglobulins at the site of lesion was confirmed by direct immunoperoxidase test. Conclusion: The presence of rheumatoid factors as non organ-specific autoantibodies in vitiligo provides further evidence for the autoimmune etiology of the disease and its pathological importance remains to be elucidated.