RESUMO
Vitiligo is a common skin disorder characterized by patterned depigmentation, because of a decrease of melanin pigment resulting from apparent melanocyte loss. The aim of this study was to investigate interleukin 4 (IL4), Angiotensin Converting Enzyme (ACE), C-C Chemocine Receptor 5 (CCR5), Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte-associated Antigen Receptor 4 (CTLA4) and Interleukin 1 Receptor Antagonist (IL1-RN) gene polymorphisms in 48 Turkish vitiligo patients and 50 healthy controls. Polymorphisms for the genes ACE insertion(I)/deletion(D), CCR5 (Delta32), IL1-RN (VNTR in intron 2) were detected by PCR methods. IL4 (-590) and CTLA4 (+49) gene polymorphisms were typed using PCR-RFLP methods. No significant differences in either the genotype distribution or allele frequencies of IL4, CCR5 and ACE gene polymorphisms were observed. GG genotype and G allele in CTLA4 genes were found to be significantly higher in vitiligo patients compared to the controls. (0.002, 0.000). CTLA4 (AA) and IL1-RN (1/5) genotypes and 5 allele frequency in the IL1-RN gene were found to be significantly lower in vitiligo patients compared to healthy controls (p: 0.014, 0.015, 0.016, respectively). As a conclusion, CTLA4 and IL1-RN genes might play roles in the genetic etiology of vitiligo.