title: Genetic variations of HLA-DRB1 and susceptibility to Kawasaki disease in Taiwanese children.
abstract: Although some previous studies have reported that genetic and immunologic factors play important roles in the pathogenesis of Kawasaki disease (KD), the etiologic factors of this enigmatic pediatric disease are still poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether polymorphisms of the human leukocyte antigen DRB1 (HLA-DRB1) gene are associated with KD and the development of coronary artery lesions (CAL) in Taiwanese children. Genomic DNA was extracted from whole blood samples from 145 children with KD and 331 healthy controls. The HLA-DRB1 gene was genotyped by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequence-based typing assays. We found that the distribution of HLA-DRB1 allele families and alleles in children with KD did not differ from that in healthy controls. Stratified analysis did not demonstrate any association between particular HLA-DRB1 allele families or alleles and the development of CAL in children with KD. These findings suggest that susceptibility to KD and CAL is not associated with the HLA-DRB1 gene in a Taiwanese population. If immunogenetic determinants are involved in this disease and its complications in Taiwanese children, they must involve genes other than HLA-DRB1.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Mackay Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Fu-Yuan
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Tzu-Yang
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Ming-Ren
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Chyong-Hsin
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.forename: Hung-Chang
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Shuan-Pei
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Hsin-An
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Kao
authors.forename: Nan-Chang
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.forename: Hsin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Chi
authors.forename: Tiffany Yi-Chen
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hsin-Fu
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Ching-Wen
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Dang
authors.forename: Chen-Chung
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Tseng-Chen
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.forename: Yann-Jinn
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000235:genetics; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D014644:Genetic Variation; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D009080:Mucocutaneous Lymph Node Syndrome / Q000235:genetics*; D013624:Taiwan
chemical_list: D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains