Mitochondrial DNA polymorphism: its role in longevity of the Irish population.

Frequency of cytokine polymorphisms in populations from western Europe, Africa, Asia, the Middle East and South America.

In order to clarify the relationship between the clinical phenotype and the human leucocyte antigen (HLA) in multiple sclerosis in Asians, 93 Japanese patients with clinically definite multiple sclerosis underwent clinical MRI and HLA-DPB1 gene typing studies. According to a neurological examination, 29 patients were classified as opticospinal multiple sclerosis, 17 as spinal multiple sclerosis and 47 as Western type multiple sclerosis showing the involvement of multiple sites in the CNS including either the cerebrum, cerebellum or brainstem. The opticospinal multiple sclerosis showed a significantly higher age of onset, higher expanded disability status scale scores and higher CSF cell counts and protein content than the Western type multiple sclerosis. On brain and spinal cord MRI, the opticospinal multiple sclerosis showed a significantly lower number of brain lesions, but a higher frequency of gadolinium-enhancement of the optic nerve and a higher frequency of spinal cord atrophy than in Western type multiple sclerosis. The frequency of the HLA-DPB1*0501 allele was found to be significantly greater in opticospinal multiple sclerosis (93%) than in healthy controls (63%, corrected P value = 0.0091 and relative risk = 7.9), but not in Western type multiple sclerosis (66%) or spinal multiple sclerosis (82%). The marked differences in the clinical and MRI findings as well as in the immunogenetic backgrounds between the opticospinal multiple sclerosis and Western-type multiple sclerosis together suggest that HLA-DPB1*0501-associated opticospinal multiple sclerosis is a distinct subtype of multiple sclerosis.

HLA-DPB1*0501-associated opticospinal multiple sclerosis: clinical, neuroimaging and immunogenetic studies.

[HLA-DPB1* 0501-associated opticospinal multiple sclerosis: clinical, neuroimaging and immunogenetic studies].

The genetic structure of Mexican Mestizos of different locations: tracking back their origins through MHC genes, blood group systems, and microsatellites.

Modifications have been introduced to a previously reported HLA-B PCR-SSOP typing system. This has enabled further definition of alleles, determination of the probe pattern of some alleles not previously examined and identification of patterns of possible new alleles. However there are still some alleles that cannot be differentiated and there are several alleles which when present as a homozygote have the same pattern as in combination with another allele. When the method was applied to the typing of 66 consecutive cadaveric donors there were three donors whose type differed from the serological type.

Modification of an HLA‐B PCR‐SSOP typing system leading to improved allele determination

SUMMARY

Using sequence-specific oligonucleotide probes, no altered distribution in the frequency of HLA-DPB1 alleles was found in multiple sclerosis patients from Northern Ireland. Although present in the controls, linkage disequilibrium between HLA-DPB1*0101 and HLA-DR17 was not found in multiple sclerosis patients.

E. Mallon

Papers

Modification of an HLA‐B PCR‐SSOP typing system leading to improved allele determination

Frequency of HLA-DPB1 alleles in multiple sclerosis patients from Northern Ireland.