| Title | Association of HLA Class II Genes with Systemic Sclerosis in Spanish Patients. | | Author(s) | Simeón CP, Fonollosa V, Tolosa C, Palou E, Selva A, Solans R, Armadans L, Moreno E, Marsal S, Vilardell M | | Institution | From the Internal Medicine Service, Immunohematology Service, Preventive Medicine Service, and Rheumatology Unit, Vall d'Hebron Hospital, Barcelona; and the Internal Medicine Service, Parc Taulí Hospital, Sabadell, Spain. | | Source | J Rheumatol 2009 Nov 2. | | Abstract | OBJECTIVE: To examine the role of HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 alleles in the susceptibility to systemic sclerosis (SSc) and its clinical expression in a Spanish population.
METHODS: One hundred Spanish Caucasian patients with SSc and 130 controls were studied. Molecular HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 typing was performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) sequence-based typing and PCR sequence-specific oligonucleotide.
RESULTS: HLA-DRB1*11 was associated with genetic susceptibility to SSc, whereas HLA-DRB1*07 (HLA-DRB1*0701) showed a protective effect. A significant increase in the frequency of the DRB1*1104 allele was observed in patients with anti-topoisomerase I autoantibodies (anti-Topo I) while HLA-DRB1*01 and HLA-DQB1*05 alleles were significantly increased in patients with anticentromere antibodies (ACA). The HLA-DRB1*11 allele was more frequent in patients with pulmonary fibrosis; however, no significant association with any HLA-DRB1 or DQB1 alleles was identified in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.
CONCLUSION: HLA alleles play a role in genetic susceptibility to SSc in Spanish patients. Some alleles are more prevalent in patients with pulmonary fibrosis and in patients with certain SSc-specific autoantibodies (anti-Topo I and ACA). | | Language | ENG | | Pub Type(s) | JOURNAL ARTICLE
| | PubMed ID | 19884273 |
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