Genotyping for HLA-A, B and C alleles in Japanese patients with pemphigus: prevalence of Asian alleles of the HLA-B15 family.
BACKGROUND
There have been only limited reports on major histocompatibility complex class I antigens in pemphigus.


OBJECTIVE
To characterize HLA-A, B and C class I alleles by genotyping in Japanese patients with pemphigus, and to analyse the possible association of class I alleles with disease susceptibility within a relatively homogeneous ethnic population.


METHODS
Alleles of HLA-A, B and C, and DRB1 and DQB1 loci were fully determined in 51 Japanese patients with pemphigus.


RESULTS
Asian alleles of the HLA-B15 family, including the allele B*1507, which was significantly increased in comparison with normal controls, were prevalent in patients with pemphigus vulgaris (PV). The prevalence of B*15 alleles in patients with PV was not due to linkage disequilibrium with HLA-DR4 or DR14 alleles, which have been shown to confer strong susceptibility to PV across racial barriers. In contrast to the unique distribution of the HLA-B alleles, HLA-A and C alleles were unremarkable in patients with PV when compared with normal control subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that there may be differences in the ethnic concentrations of different HLA-B alleles in patients with PV.
Miyagawa
S
S
Department of Dermatology, Nara Medical University, Kashihara City, Nara 634, Japan. sachikom@naramed-u.ac.jp
Niizeki
H
H
Yamashina
Y
Y
Kaneshige
T
T
D000483:Alleles; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005838:Genotype; D015234:HLA-A Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D015235:HLA-B Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D015236:HLA-C Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium; D010392:Pemphigus / Q000235:genetics*
D015234:HLA-A Antigens; D015235:HLA-B Antigens; D015236:HLA-C Antigens