CTLA4 exon 1 dimorphism in bullous and cicatricial pemphigoid.

The human cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA4) gene encodes proteins regulating the immune response. The polymorphism of this gene is associated with some autoimmune diseases. In this study, we analysed the distribution of the dimorphisms of exon 1 (+ 49 A/G) in bullous pemphigoid (BP) and cicatricial pemphigoid (CP), two types of autoimmune bullous skin diseases that occur in elderly people. The frequency of the exon 1 A-G genotype was marginally decreased in patients (36.4%; n = 55) compared with controls (52.8%, n = 53), but the results were not statistically significant (P = 0.09).