title: Association between Anti-Ganglionic Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor (gAChR) Antibodies and HLA-DRB1 Alleles in the Japanese Population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Anti-ganglionic nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (gAChR) antibodies are observed in autoimmune diseases, as well as in patients with autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy. However, the genetic background of anti-gAChR antibodies is unclear. Here, we investigated HLA alleles in autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) patients with or without anti-gAChR antibodies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Genomic DNA from 260 patients with type-1 autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) were genotyped for HLA-A, B, DRB1, and DQB1 loci. Anti-gAChR antibodies in the sera form AIH patients were measured using the luciferase immunoprecipitation system, and examined allelic association in patients with or without anti-gAChR antibodies.
  We detected anti-α3 or -β4 gAChR antibodies in 11.5% (30/260) of patients with AIH. Among AIH patients there was no significant association between HLA-A, B DQB1 alleles and the positivity for anti-gAChR antibodies. Whereas the HLA-DRB1*0403 allele showed a significantly increased frequency in AIH patients with anti-gAChR antibodies compared with those without anti-gAChR antibodies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The frequency of the HLA-DRB1*0403 allele differed among Japanese patients with AIH according to the presence or absence of anti-gAChR antibodies. Our findings suggest that particular HLA class II molecules might control the development of anti-gAChR antibodies in the autoimmune response to gAChR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Research, Nagasaki Kawatana Medical Center, Kawatana, Nagasaki, Japan.|Department of Neuroimmunology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Center, NHO Nagasaki Medical Center, Omura, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Kiyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Migita
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Research, Nagasaki Kawatana Medical Center, Kawatana, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Osamu
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Higuchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Research, Nagasaki Kawatana Medical Center, Kawatana, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Akihiro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mukaino
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular and Genetic Epidemiology, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Furukawa
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Center, NHO Nagasaki Medical Center, Omura, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsumasa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Komori
authors.affiliation: Department of Hepatology, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Minoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Center, NHO Nagasaki Medical Center, Omura, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hashimoto
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Center, NHO Nagasaki Medical Center, Omura, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nagaoka
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Center, NHO Nagasaki Medical Center, Omura, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Seigo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abiru
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research Center, NHO Nagasaki Medical Center, Omura, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yatsuhashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Research, Nagasaki Kawatana Medical Center, Kawatana, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Hidenori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Matsuo
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, Nagasaki University Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kawakami
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Nagasaki, Japan.
authors.forename: Michio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yasunami
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kumamoto University, Kumamoto, Kumamoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Shunya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakane
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000483:Alleles; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005805:Genes, MHC Class I; D005802:Genes, MHC Class II; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D005838:Genotype; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D006681:HLA-D Antigens / Q000235:genetics; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains / Q000235:genetics*; D019693:Hepatitis, Autoimmune / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000276:immunology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D006680:HLA Antigens; D006681:HLA-D Antigens; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic; C447159:CHRNB4 protein, human; C526364:HLA-DRB1*04:03 antigen