Polymorphisms of HLA DQB1 CAR1/CAR2 and TNF alpha IR2/IR4 microsatellite markers in patients affected with Graves disease

Graves disease is an autoimmune thyroid disorder in which ELLA class I and II confer susceptibility in different ethnic groups. An allele-specific pol ymerase chain reaction was used to characterize the variation of the HLA-DQ B1 CAR1/CAR2 and TNF alpha markers located on chromosome 6 in 85 unrelated Tunisian patients affected with Graves disease and 148 healthy control subj ects. In contrast to the results regarding TNF alpha alleles showing no dif ference between patients and controls (P = 0.904), the analysis of the HLA- DQB1 CAR1/CAR2 polymorphism showed a significant difference in its alleles (P < 0.0001). Nevertheless, no allele exhibited a predispositional effect o n GD pathogenesis. (C) 2000 Academic Press.