POLYMORPHISM OF THE HEAT-SHOCK PROTEIN GENE HSP70-2 IN SYSTEMIC LUPUS-ERYTHEMATOSUS

We investigate whether a heat-shock protein gene (HSP 70-2) is involve d in determining susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in a Spanish population. A HSP 70-2 PstI polymorphism was characterize d by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of polymerase c hain reaction-amplified genomic DNA in 90 SLE patients and 117 control s. The PstI site containing allele (B) was significantly increased in SLE patients compared to healthy controls. This was due to a significa nt increase in the BE homozygous genotype in patients, particularly in those with diffuse proliferative nephritis. Neither allelic nor genot ypic differences were detected when compared by the presence or absenc e of DR3. The HSP 70-2 B allele seems tightly linked to the human leuc ocyte antigen (HLA) haplotypes carrying susceptibility to SLE in our p opulation. An independent role for this gene cannot be confirmed due t o its linkage with HLA DR3.