title: Association of HLA-DR/DQ polymorphism with Alzheimer's disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex disorder, resulting from an interaction between environmental and genetic factors. Several studies have addressed the association of AD with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) polymorphisms without arriving at any definite conclusions. The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region is the key susceptibility locus in many immunological diseases. The aim of this study was to investigate the probable association between HLA-DR/DQ alleles and AD in Tunisian patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  HLA-DR/DQ genotyping was performed using polymerase chain reaction sequence-specific primers with 55 AD patients and 100 healthy individuals serving as the control group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  AD in Tunisian patients was found to be associated with the following alleles (Pc denotes Bonferroni corrected probability values): HLA-DRB1*15 (Pc < 10-3), DRB1*04 (Pc = 0.03) and DQB1*06 (Pc < 10-3). Two haplotypes found to be associated with the disease were DRB1*1501/DQB1*0602 (Pc < 10-3) and DRB1*0402/DQB1*0302 (Pc = 0.02).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The authors believe this to be the first research linking the haplotypes DRB1*1501/DQB1*0602 and DRB1*04/DQB1*0302 with AD. Larger studies in other populations will be important to support the present findings of the possible susceptible risk of HLA-DR/DQ in AD.
authors: Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LM, SK, NG, NF-M), Department of Hematology, Military Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia; and Department of Neurology (MM, IB, HD, RM), Military Hospital, Tunis, Tunisia.
authors: Leila
authors: L
authors: Mansouri
authors: Mariem
authors: M
authors: Messalmani
authors: Sarra
authors: S
authors: Klai
authors: Ines
authors: I
authors: Bedoui
authors: Hajer
authors: H
authors: Derbali
authors: Nasreddine
authors: N
authors: Gritli
authors: Ridha
authors: R
authors: Mrissa
authors: Najiba
authors: N
authors: Fekih-Mrissa
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000483:Alleles; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics; D005838:Genotype; D006683:HLA-DQ Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D059866:HLA-DQ beta-Chains / Q000235:genetics; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains / Q000235:genetics; D006239:Haplotypes / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D006683:HLA-DQ Antigens; D059866:HLA-DQ beta-Chains; C069051:HLA-DQB1 antigen; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains