title: Human leukocyte antigen alleles and haplotypes associated with chronicity of hepatitis B virus infection in Koreans.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chronic hepatitis B infection is the leading cause of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Human leukocyte antigen may be involved in the chronicity of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the association between HBV chronicity and human leukocyte antigen alleles and haplotypes of 636 organ donors and recipients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects were categorized into 2 groups according to their clinical and serologic profiles, specifically, an HBV natural convalescent group and an HBV chronic carrier (CC) group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Hepatitis B chronicity was positively associated with A33 (P = .004, odds ratio [OR] = 1.59) and DR7 (P < .001, OR = 2.58), and negatively associated with HLA-DR13 (P < .001, OR = 0.40). Coexpression of A33 and DR7 was significantly higher in the CC group (OR = 3.63), compared with that of either allele alone (OR = 1.76 in A33; OR = 2.53 in DR7). The statistically significant haplotypes were B44-DR7 (P < .001, OR = 5.44), A33-DR7 (P < .001, OR = 4.47), and A33-B44-DR7 (P < .001, OR = 7.31) in the CC group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results indicate that alleles of A33, DR7, and haplotypes containing DR7 are associated with HBV chronicity among Koreans. Moreover, the 2 antigens had an additive effect on chronicity. These findings support the theory that human leukocyte antigen class I-restricted cytotoxic T cells and human leukocyte antigen class II-restricted helper T cells play an important role in HBV chronicity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Asan Medical Center and University of Ulsan College of Medicine, 388-1 Pungnap-dong, Songpa-gu, Seoul, 138-736 Korea.
authors.forename: Sang-Hyun
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Yong-Hak
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Sohn
authors.forename: Heung-Bum
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Chang Yun
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Soong-Hwan
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Eun-Soon
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Kwan Jeh
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000483:Alleles; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D006681:HLA-D Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D015809:HLA-DR7 Antigen / Q000235:genetics; D006239:Haplotypes / Q000235:genetics*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea / Q000208:ethnology; D008297:Male; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: C104258:GPA33 protein, human; D006680:HLA Antigens; D006681:HLA-D Antigens; D015809:HLA-DR7 Antigen; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins