title: [Recent knowledge and hypotheses on the significance of the HLA-D region in rheumatoid arthritis].
abstract: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) may result from an interaction between genetic and environmental factors. There is a well documented association between RA and the serologically defined class II MHC antigen haplotype DR4-DRw53-DQw3. Cellular HLA typing reveals five Dw subtypes (Dw4, 10, 13, 14, 15) of this haplotype. DNA coding for this Dw-subtypes occurs in the third hypervariable region (3. HVR) of the DR beta 1 domain suggesting, that this part of the molecule is recognized by T cells. Relatively circumscribed amino acid changes in this 3. HVR, which contains an alpha-helical structure, may result in immune response changes. Susceptibility to RA may be due to related epitopes found in non-Dw10 subtypes of DR4, as well as in DR1 alleles. Studies, using T cell clones specific for the Dw14 subtype of DR4 found Dw14-associated epitopes in 100% (!) also on non-DR4 haplotypes, in the population with RA. Typing with primed lymphocytes may give rise to the association of HLA and RA.
authors.affiliation: 2. Medizinischen Abteilung im Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Spital der Stadt Wien.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Haberhauer
mesh_terms: D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000235:genetics*; D005787:Gene Frequency; D006681:HLA-D Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D006681:HLA-D Antigens
vernacular_title: Neuere Erkenntnisse und Hypothesen über die Bedeutung der HLA-D-Region bei Rheumatoid-Arthritis.