In order to assess the relation between CT60 cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen-4 (CTLA-4) gene polymorphism and thyroid autoantibody production, we investigated 180 consecutive newly diagnosed patients with two forms of AITD, 105 with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) and 75 with postpartum thyroiditis (PPT).
Our data show a significant effect of the CTLA4 CT60G allele at the homozygous state on the risk of developing AITD in children with CD and suggest that the reported association of the CTLA4 CT60 A/G polymorphism with CD is limited to the subgroup of patients who are or will be complicated with AITD.
Recently, AITD susceptibility in the Caucasians was mapped to the 6.1-kb 3'UTR of the CTLA4 gene, in which the three single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) CT60, JO31, and JO30 were strongly associated with AITD.