PubMedDate not supplied
BACKGROUND: A distinct type of pancreatitis associated with diabetes, termed fibrocalculous pancreatic diabetes (FCPD), has been reported in tropical developing countries including Bangladesh. The molecular basis for autosomal dominant hereditary pancreatitis (HP) has recently been attributed to mutations in exons 2 and 3 of the trypsinogen gene. We have investigated the hypothesis that mutations in the aforementioned exons of this gene might also predispose to FCPD. METHODS: Seventy Bangladeshi and 50 South Indian unrelated FCPD patients and seven South Indian families with FCPD probands were studied. Pancreatic calcification was confirmed by abdominal X-ray, ultrasound and/or ERCP. Established mutations of exons 2 and 3 of the trypsinogen gene were studied in these subjects by PCR-RFLP analysis and DNA sequencing. RESULTS: The mutations found in hereditary pancreatitis were not observed in this collection of FCPD subjects, and complete DNA sequencing of exons 2 and 3 of the fourth cationic trypsinogen gene also excluded any new mutations. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that chronic pancreatitis of FCPD is unlikely to be caused by common mutations in the trypsinogen gene.