TAP POLYMORPHISMS IN SWEDISH MYASTHENIA-GRAVIS PATIENTS

The association between myasthenia gravis (MG) and TAP polymorphisms w as studied in 79 Swedish patients and 155 unrelated controls. TAP typi ng was performed by ARMS-PCR technique and stratification analysis was used to determine if the TAP associations were independent or seconda ry to linkage disequilibrium with DQ2 and DR3. TAP1 and TAP2 alleles d id not confer independent risk for MG. TAP20101 was, however, positiv ely associated with MG in patients with an early onset of disease comp ared to patients with a late onset of disease. TAP1 and TAP2 alleles d id not confer risk in MG patients negative for DQ2. In conclusion, sus ceptibility to MG is not primarily conferred by TAP alleles in the ext ended DR3 haplotype.