HLA-DRB1 genotyping in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in Taiwan.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the relation of HLA-DR alleles to the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and the correlations between HLA-DR alleles and clinical manifestations of patients with RA in Taiwan.


METHODS
The HLA-DRB1 alleles were studied in 144 patients with RA and 154 healthy controls using polymerase chain reaction/sequence specific oligonucleotide probe methods. The subtypes of HLA-DR4 were detected by cloning sequencing.


RESULTS
The prevalence of HLA-DR4 was significantly higher in patients with RA (46.53%) than in healthy controls (25.97%). HLA-DRB1*0405 was more common in patients than in controls (83.58 vs 50%), while the prevalence of DRB1*0403 in patients (4.48%) was significantly lower than in controls (27.5%). There was no significant difference in frequencies of HLA-DR alleles between DRB1*0405 negative patients and DRB1*0.05 negative controls. We also noted a positive correlation in patients between HLA-DR4 and bone erosion, but not HLA-DR4 and age of onset, seropositivity, or extraarticular involvement. There was no significant difference in seropositivity, extraarticular involvement, and bone erosion between homozygous and heterozygous DR4 patients.


CONCLUSIONS
HLA-DRB1*0405 is related to the development of RA in Taiwan, while DRB1*0403 was a negative risk factor. HLA-DR4 was associated with bone erosion in patients.
D000483:Alleles; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D001483:Base Sequence; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000473:pathology; D005838:Genotype; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D015804:HLA-DR4 Antigen / Q000235:genetics*; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains; D006720:Homozygote; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes; D010641:Phenotype; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012307:Risk Factors; D013624:Taiwan
D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D015804:HLA-DR4 Antigen; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains; D015345:Oligonucleotide Probes