title: Association of a particular amino acid sequence of the HLA-DR beta 1 chain with HTLV-I-associated myelopathy.
abstract: Analyses of HLA-DRB1 gene using polymerase chain reaction and sequence-specific oligonucleotide probes reveal that the amino acid sequence Glu-Gln-Arg-Arg-Ala-Ala-Val at positions 69-75 of the third hypervariable region (HVR) of HLA-DR beta 1 chain is significantly associated with HTLV-I-associated myelopathy (HAM). Since the frequency of this sequence in HTLV-I carriers is almost the same as that in controls from Kagoshima (an endemic area of HTLV-I), this sequence may be related to susceptibility to HAM rather than to susceptibility to HTLV-I infection. Since this third HVR functions as putative antigen-binding sites and T cell recognition sites, the amino acid sequence of positions 68-73 was analyzed in detail. The analysis reveals that Gln70 and Arg71 are relevant to the occurrence of HAM.
authors.affiliation: Division of Demyelinating Disease and Aging, National Institute of Neuroscience, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Japan.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Usuku
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishizawa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsuki
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tokunaga
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Eiraku
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Suehara
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Juji
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Osame
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tabira
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D015493:Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes