HLA-LINKED SUSCEPTIBILITY AND RESISTANCE GENES IN CROHNS-DISEASE

Background & Aims: Previous studies have shown a positive association of HLA-DR4-DQ4 with Crohn's disease in the Japanese population, but th e association between Crohn's disease and HLA genes has yet to be full y elucidated. The aim of this study was to determine the Crohn's disea se/HLA association using a DNA typing method. Methods: A total of 90 u nrelated patients with Crohn's disease and 336 healthy controls were t yped for HLA class II genes including DP using DNA typing with the pol ymerase chain reaction-sequence-specific oligonucleotide probes method . Results: Allelic analysis showed that DRB10405, DRB1*0410, DQA1*03, DQB10401, and DQB1* 0402 are positively associated and DRB1*1501, DR B11302, and DQB1*0602 negatively associated with Crohn's disease. DP genes showed no significant association with Crohn's disease. Haplotyp e analysis showed positive associations with DRB10405-DQA1*03-DQB1*04 01, DRB10410-DQA1*03-DQB1* 0402, and DRB1*0802-DQA1*03-DQB1*0402 hapl otypes and negative associations with DRB11501-DQA1*0102-DQB1*0602 an d DRB11302-DQA1*0102-DQB1*0604 haplotypes. Conclusions: In Crohn's di sease in the Japanese population, the HLA-linked disease susceptibilit y gene is primarily associated with DQB104, in which leucine at the 5 6th position is a unique amino acid, and the disease resistance allele is suggested to be DQA10102.