Allelic variants of herv-k18 provirus and their use in analysis

摘要

The invention relates to polymorphic forms of the endogenous human retrovirus HERV-K18 and to methods for determining the genotype of an individual at the HERV-K18 locus. The invention also relates to the use of the HERV-K18 genotype in the identification of predisposition of individuals to disorders involving the HERV-K 18 retrovirus, for example insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). The invention further relates to the combination of HERV-K18 genotyping with genotyping of additional genetic loci which are also linked to IDDM, thus providing a more effective detection method.