HLA class II allele associations in Korean patients with pemphigus.
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.
Lee
C W
CW
Department of Dermatology, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
Yang
H Y
HY
Kim
S C
SC
Jung
J H
JH
Hwang
J J
JJ
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*
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