title: HLA class II allele associations in Korean patients with pemphigus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Studies at the population level have demonstrated associations between pemphigus (pemphigus vulgaris, PV, and pemphigus foliaceus, PF) and particular HLA haplotypes, which suggests that there may be a genetic predisposition for the disease.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present study was to examine the distribution/frequency pattern of HLA class II alleles (DRB1, DQA1 and DQB1) from a group of 30 Korean patients with pemphigus (15 PV and 15 PF) by PCR amplification with sequence-specific primers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In PV, the frequency of DRB1*01 allele was found to be significantly high (pc = 0.0014); in PF, DRB1*01, DQA1*0302 and DQB1*0603 alleles showed positive associations with statistical significances (pc = 0.0002, 0.0007 and 0.0067, respectively), when compared with those found in Korean controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this small-sample study, findings of allelic frequencies among Korean patients with pemphigus are somewhat different from those found in other populations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: H Y
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Hwang
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005802:Genes, MHC Class II / Q000235:genetics*; D005838:Genotype; D006683:HLA-DQ Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D059848:HLA-DQ alpha-Chains; D059866:HLA-DQ beta-Chains; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D010392:Pemphigus / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D006683:HLA-DQ Antigens; D059848:HLA-DQ alpha-Chains; D059866:HLA-DQ beta-Chains; C069050:HLA-DQA1 antigen; C069051:HLA-DQB1 antigen; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains