title: A male-specific increase in the HLA-DRB4 (DR53) frequency in high-risk and relapsed childhood ALL.
abstract: Previous studies reported significant HLA-DR associations with various leukemias one of which is with HLA-DRB4 (DR53) family in male patients with childhood ALL. We have HLA-DR-typed 212 high-risk or relapsed patients with childhood (n=114) and adult (n=98) ALL and a total of 250 healthy controls (118 children, 132 adult) by PCR-SSP analysis. The members of the HLA-DRB3 (DR52) family were underrepresented in patients most significantly for HLA-DRB1*12 (P=0.0007) and HLA-DRB1*13 (P=0.0001). In childhood ALL, the protective effect of DRB3 was evident in homozygous form (P=0.001). The DRB4 marker frequency was increased in males with childhood ALL (67.4%) compared to age- and sex-matched controls (42.1%, P=0.003) and female patients (35.7%, P=0.004). Besides being a general marker for increased susceptibility to childhood ALL in males, HLA-DRB4 is over-represented in high-risk patients. These results further suggest that the HLA system is one of the components of genetic susceptibility to leukemia but mainly in childhood and in boys only.
authors: Department of Epidemiology and International Health, School of Public Health, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL 35294-0022, USA. dorak@openlink.org
authors: M Tevfik
authors: MT
authors: Dorak
authors: Fatma S
authors: FS
authors: Oguz
authors: Nevin
authors: N
authors: Yalman
authors: A Sarper
authors: AS
authors: Diler
authors: Sevgi
authors: S
authors: Kalayoglu
authors: Sema
authors: S
authors: Anak
authors: Deniz
authors: D
authors: Sargin
authors: Mahmut
authors: M
authors: Carin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005802:Genes, MHC Class II; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D059826:HLA-DRB3 Chains; D059845:HLA-DRB4 Chains; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics; D012008:Recurrence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012306:Risk; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; C050610:HLA-DR53; D059826:HLA-DRB3 Chains; D059845:HLA-DRB4 Chains