title: HLA-DR2, [HLA-B7, SC31, DR2], and [HLA-B8, SC01, DR3] haplotypes distinguish subjects with asthma from those with rhinitis only in ragweed pollen allergy.
abstract: MHC haplotypes were determined for 52 patients with ragweed pollen allergy, with and without asthma, and 27 non-atopic controls. Total IgE levels were unimodally distributed in all study groups and were higher in atopic patients in general compared with non-atopics. There was no difference in total IgE levels in patients with rhinitis only compared with those with rhinitis and asthma. IgE anti-Amb a V was detected (after subtraction of values representing the means + 2 SD of the non-atopics) in 9 of 20 asthmatics but only 3 of 32 patients with only rhinitis and was thus associated with asthma. Mean anti-Amb a V was much higher in the antibody-positive asthmatics (1710 U/ml) than in the positive patients with rhinitis only (469 U/ml). The extended MHC haplotype [HLA-B7, SC31, DR2] and its possible DR-containing fragment (SC31, DR2), were found almost exclusively among the patients with IgE anti-Amb a V and were significantly elevated in patients with asthma. DR2 in general, but not DR2 without SC31, was significantly increased in frequency in patients with anti-Amb a V. In contrast, the extended haplotype [HLA-B8, SC01, DR3] and DR3 in general were increased among patients with rhinitis only and patients without IgE anti-Amb a V compared with general controls. Thus, [HLA-B8, SC01, DR3] and DR3 appear to be "protective" for the production of this antibody and the occurrence of asthma. The findings are consistent with an MHC-linked gene or genes on [HLA-B7, SC31, DR2] (but not necessarily DR2, Dw2, or DQw6 in general) controlling the IgE immune response to Amb a V and associated with asthma in ragweed pollen-sensitive subjects. In patients with rhinitis alone and generally undetectable levels of IgE anti-Amb a V, the increase in [HLA-B8, SC01, DR3] and DR3 may mark a response to an as yet unidentified Ag associated with ragweed allergy and rhinitis only.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis 55455.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Blumenthal
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Marcus-Bagley
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Awdeh
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Yunis
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Alper
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma / Q000276:immunology*; D015793:HLA-B7 Antigen / Q000235:genetics*; D015795:HLA-B8 Antigen / Q000235:genetics*; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000032:analysis; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000235:genetics*; D011058:Pollen / Q000276:immunology*; D006255:Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D015793:HLA-B7 Antigen; D015795:HLA-B8 Antigen; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D007073:Immunoglobulin E