title: Targeting skin: vitiligo and autoimmunity.
abstract: In this issue, Singh and co-workers describe the results of classical typing of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles in 1,404 vitiligo patients and 902 unaffected controls from North India and follow-up HLA typing in 355 cases and 441 controls from Gujarat. The increased frequency of DRB1*07:01 in North Indian and Gujarat populations with generalized and localized vitiligo and in several vitiligo populations studied previously suggests that it contributes to autoimmunity and destruction of melanocytes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, Missouri 63110, USA. bowcock@genetics.wustl.edu
authors.forename: Anne M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Bowcock
authors.forename: Marcelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fernandez-Vina
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D015234:HLA-A Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D059948:HLA-B44 Antigen / Q000235:genetics*; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014820:Vitiligo / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D015234:HLA-A Antigens; C519587:HLA-A*36:01 antigen; D059948:HLA-B44 Antigen; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains; C456920:HLA-DRB1*07 antigen