Ankylosing Spondylitis And Heterogeneity Of Hla-B27 In Chinese

Objective. To examine the relationship between ankylosing spondylitis and heterogeneity of HLA-B-27 in Chinese.Patients and Methods. We subtyped HLA-B-27 in 76 patients with ankylosing spondylitis and 1 200 healthy Chinese of Han nationality. Polymerase chain reaction was designed to amplify specific regions of class I (exon 2 and 3). Amplified sequences were tested with eight sequence-specific oligonucleotides to distinguish all HLA-B-27 subtypes.Results. The HLA-B-27 was closely related to ankylosing spondylitis and at least four subtypes presented in Chinese patients. B-2704 was the most common subtype, occurring in 54.8% and 50.85% respectively in HLA-B-27 positive ankylosing spondylitis patients and healthy controls. The main HLA-B-27 subtypes in the HLA-B-27 positive patients distributed in similar proportion to those of HLA-B-27 positive healthy controls (P<0.1).Conclusions. The prevalences of various subtypes of HLA-B-27 vary in different races. HLA-B-2704 is the main subtype in Chinese Han nationality. The HLA-B-27 specific residues that are shared by the subtypes might be involved in the pathogenesis of ankylosing spondylitis.