title: Ankylosing spondylitis without B27: no evidence for gene conversion.
abstract: Isoelectric focusing gel electrophoresis was used to look for variant HLA molecules in five patients with HLA-B27 negative ankylosing spondylitis (AS). The isoelectric points of the HLA-A and B antigens from these patients and HLA paired controls were identical. This implies that the HLA-A and B antigens from the patients with AS and the controls are similar. Gene conversion of a nucleotide sequence from a B27 positive gene is thus unlikely to be the explanation for the existence of AS in patients who are HLA-B27 negative by alloantisera typing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Westminster Hospital, London.
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Pease
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Ellis
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: McMichael
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Brewerton
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D005785:Gene Conversion; D015234:HLA-A Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D015235:HLA-B Antigens / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D015796:HLA-B27 Antigen; D006801:Humans; D007525:Isoelectric Focusing; D008297:Male; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D015234:HLA-A Antigens; D015235:HLA-B Antigens; D015796:HLA-B27 Antigen