title: The genetic variants at the HLA-DRB1 gene are associated with primary IgA nephropathy in Han Chinese.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN), an immune-complex-mediated glomerulonephritis defined immunohistologically by the presence of glomerular IgA deposits, is the most common primary glomerular disease worldwide and a significant cause of end-stage renal disease. Familial clustering of patients with IgAN suggests a genetic predisposition.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, 192 patients with IgAN and 192 normal controls in the Sichuan cohort and 935 patients with IgAN and 2,103 normal controls in the Beijing cohort were investigated. HLA-DRB1*01-DRB1*10 specificities were genotyped by the PCR-SSP technique in both cohorts. Based on the HLA-DRB1*04-positive results, the subtypes of HLA-DRB1*04 were analyzed using sequencing-based typing (SBT) in 291 IgAN cases and 420 matched controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The frequency of HLA-DRB1*04 in the IgAN group was significantly higher than that in the control group (0.129 vs. 0.092, P = 8.29 × 10-5, odds ratio (OR) =1.381, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.178-1.619). Other alleles at the HLA-DRB1 locus were observed with no significant differences between the case and control groups. The dominant alleles of the HLA-DRB1*04 subtypes were DRB1*0405 in both cohorts. The frequencies of HLA-DRB1*0405 and 0403 were significantly increased in the patients compared to healthy subjects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HLA-DRB1*04 was significantly associated with primary IgAN in Chinese population. This result implies that HLA-DRB1 gene plays a major role in primary IgAN.
authors.affiliation: Center for Human Molecular Biology & Genetics, Sichuan Academy of Medical Science & Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, Chengdu, Sichuan, 617002, China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiyun
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guisen
authors.forename: Zhu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Shi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yi
authors.forename: Lv
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jicheng
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fang
authors.forename: Liu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xiaoqi
authors.forename: Ma
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ying
authors.forename: Wang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Haiyan
authors.forename: Wang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Zhang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhenglin
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002681:China; D015331:Cohort Studies; D017931:DNA Primers; D005006:Ethnicity; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005922:Glomerulonephritis, IGA / Q000235:genetics*; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains