title: HLA-B27 and ankylosing spondylitis: tales from China.
abstract: The two most frequent HLA-B27 subtypes worldwide are B*2704 and B*2705. In the Han population of China B*2704 and, to a lower extent, B*2705 are found with significant frequency, and both are associated to ankylosing spondylitis (AS). Two articles in this issue report that the association to AS in this ethnic group is stronger for B*2704 than for B*2705. Thus, at least among the Han, B*2704 would be the strongest known susceptibility factor for AS.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain. aldecastro@cbm.uam.es
authors.forename: J A López
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: de Castro
mesh_terms: D044466:Asian People; D002681:China; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D015796:HLA-B27 Antigen / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D013167:Spondylitis, Ankylosing / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D015796:HLA-B27 Antigen