Nomenclature for factors of the HLA system, 1995

HLA-DRB1 alleles and Jk(a) immunization

BACKGROUND

In transfusion medicine, anti-Jk(a) has been implicated in hemolytic transfusion reactions. Development of anti-Jk(a) after transfusion does not always occur after Jk(a-) patients receive at least 1 unit of Jk(a+) blood unit. This study was designed to identify HLA-DRB1 alleles associated with predisposition to Jk(a) immunization after blood transfusion or pregnancy.

STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS

Genotyping by polymerase chain reaction and sequence-specific oligonucleotide probe nonradioactive hybridization/sequence-specific primers was performed in 20 Jk(a)-immunized patients and 200 controls from the same southern European population.

RESULTS

Genotyping showed that HLA-DRB1*01 was significantly more frequent in Jk(a)-immunized patients than controls: 55 percent versus 17 percent (odds ratio [OR], 5.9; confidence interval [CI], 2.3-15.5; corrected p value<0.05). Because HLA-DRB1*0101, DRB1*0102, and DRB1*1001 share a common sequence in their B1 chain, that is, F in 13, R in 71, and A in 74, HLA genetic predisposition was analyzed by comparing patients and controls with respect to the distribution of F13/R71/A74-positive and -negative alleles. Results demonstrated greater positivity of the F13/R71/A74 sequence (DRB1*0101, *0102, or *1001) in patients than in controls: 65 percent versus 19.5 percent (OR, 7.7; CI, 2.9-20.5; p<0.001).

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, HLA-DRB1*0101, DRB1*0102, and DRB1*1001, which share a common DRB1 sequence, appeared to be overrepresented in Jk(a)-immunized patients.

Immunodominance of a low-affinity major histocompatibility complex-binding myelin basic protein epitope (residues 111-129) in HLA-DR4 (B1*0401) subjects is associated with a restricted T cell receptor repertoire

The pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) is currently ascribed in part to a T cell-mediated process targeting myelin components. The T cell response to one candidate autoantigen, myelin basic protein (MBP), in the context of HLA-DR15Dw2, has been previously studied in detail. However, the characteristics of cellular immunity in the context of other MS-associated HLA-DR haplotypes are scarcely known. MBP-specific T cell lines (TCL) were generated from HLA-DR4 (B1*0401)-positive MS subjects. Out of 275 MBP-specific TCL, 178 (64. 7%) specifically recognized region MBP(111-129), predominantly in the context of DRB1*0401. The major T cell epitope for MBP recognition corresponded to residues MBP(116-123). These TCL expressed disparate profiles of cytokine secretion and cytotoxicity. T cell receptor analysis, on the other hand, revealed a strikingly limited heterogeneity of rearrangements. In contrast to MBP(81-99), which binds with high affinity to HLA-DR15 and is recognized by a diverse T cell repertoire, MBP(111-129) binds weakly to DRB1*0401, suggesting that only high affinity T cell receptors might be able to efficiently engage such unstable MHC/peptide complexes, thus accounting for the T cell receptor restriction we observed. This study provides new insight about MBP recognition and proposes an alternative mechanism for immunodominance of self-antigen T cell epitopes in humans.

Genetic polymorphism of the fourth component of human complement: population study and proposal for a revised nomenclature based on genomic PCR typing of Rodgers and Chido determinants

The fourth component of human complement (C4) is coded for by two homologous genes, C4A and C4B, located in the class III region of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). Genetic typing of C4A and B alleles is routinely carried out by high-voltage agarose gel electrophoresis. The electrophoretic C4 polymorphism can be further subdivided by the Rodgers (Rg) and Chido (Ch) blood groups, which are antigenic determinants of the C4A and B alpha-chains, respectively. We have used a recently described direct PCR typing method using sequence-specific primers (PCR-SSP) in combination with electrophoretic C4 typing as well as genomic RFLP analysis to determine the frequency of C4 allotypes, Rg/Ch subtypes and C4A-B haplotypes in a family study of the German population. As the current C4 allele designation does not provide any information about the presence or absence of Rodgers and Chido antigens, we have developed an extension to the existing C4 nomenclature. This revised allele designation combines the existing numerical allotypes defined by electrophoretic mobility with eight subtypes (01-08) based on Rg/Ch PCR genotyping results. Using this approach, most electrophoretic allotypes could be subdivided. Among the C4A allotypes, the most common allele was A*0301 (59.9%), and the most common subtype among all electrophoretic allotypes was 01 (85.1%; = Rg1,2-positive, Ch-negative). For C4B, the most common allele was B*0101 (64.3%), and the most common subtype was 01 (79.6%; = Ch1,2,3,4,5,6-positive, Rg-negative). The subtypes 03, 04, 07 and 08 of the C4A allotypes, and the subtypes 03, 07 and 08 of the C4B allotypes, were not detected in this study. The analysis of duplicated C4 alleles revealed considerable heterogeneity of their subtypes. The results demonstrate that all known C4 allotypes can now be assigned unambiguously, which facilitates the identification of MHC haplotypes relevant for transplantation and disease association studies.

HLA class I A and B typing in the clinical laboratory using DNA-based techniques

The potential for clinical HLA class I A and B typing utilizing the polymerase chain reaction combined with sequence-specific oligonucleotide probes (PCR-SSOP) was investigated. Two hundred and ten clinical samples for the HLA-B locus and 100 clinical samples for the HLA-A locus were typed by DNA-based methods and serology. For the HLA-B locus an improved SSOP typing system was developed which involved using HLA-B specific 5' primers and two 3' primers, in separate reactions. Using a panel of 30 digoxigenin-labelled SSOPs, HLA-B types were assigned for all 210 individuals with an improvement in resolution over previously described DNA-based systems and confirming serologically assigned types in all cases except one. In addition, using a single primer pair and a panel of 16 SSOPs, 100 samples were successfully HLA-A typed by PCR-SSOP resolving ambiguous serological types, including HLA-A19 subtypes and A2 homozygosity. In 25 samples, the assigned types were also confirmed by the amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS-PCR). These results indicate that non-urgent clinical HLA-A and -B typing may be performed by PCR-SSOP with a resolution at least equal to that of serology.