title: [DNA typing for HLA-DR and HLA-DQ alleles in Chinese patients with rheumatoid arthritis].
abstract: We analysed the associations of DR and DQ alleles with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in Han nationality of China. PCR-RFLP technique was used to determine DRB1, DQA1 and DQB1 alleles in 35 unrelated patients with RA and 100 healthy controls from the Hans. The frequency of DR4 was 51.4% in RA patients and 24.0% in the healthy controls (P < 0.01, RR = 3.30). Subtyping of DR4 revealed no differences in the relative distributions of the DR4 alleles between the RA group and the controls, which both were predominated by DRB1 * 0405 allele, but there was a significant increase in the absolute frequency of DRB1 * 0405 in RA patients compared with the healthy controls (31.4% vs 12.0%, P < 0.01). DQ4 (DQB1 * 04) was also increased both in the RA patients compared with the healthy controls (37.1% vs 10.0%, P < 0.001) and in DR4+ RA patients compared with DR4+ healthy ones (72.2% vs 41.6%, P = 0.0376). Further analysis showed that the haplotype DR4-DQ4 was associated with RA (RR = 5.17, P < 0.001), and that the DR4(+)-DQ4+ patients had more severe disease than the DR4- patients. These results suggest that DR4, mainly the DRB1 * 0405, is associated with RA in Han nationality, and DQ4 may play a role in DR4 conferring susceptibility to RA. The DR4-DQ4 haplotype could be taken as a predictive marker for disease severity.
authors.affiliation: PLA General Hospital, Beijing.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D044466:Asian People; D002681:China; D006683:HLA-DQ Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D015804:HLA-DR4 Antigen / Q000235:genetics*; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012150:Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length
chemical_list: D006683:HLA-DQ Antigens; C060029:HLA-DQ4 antigen; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D015804:HLA-DR4 Antigen; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains