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Journal ArticleDOI

Major histocompatibility complex haplotype studies in Ashkenazi Jewish patients with pemphigus vulgaris.

01 Oct 1990-Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (National Academy of Sciences)-Vol. 87, Iss: 19, pp 7658-7662
TL;DR: Since the disease is entirely attributable to the presence of an antibody to an intraepidermal intercellular cement substance, it is likely that the class II susceptibility gene (on HLA-B38, SC21, DR4, DQw8, or their segments, in Jewish patients) controls the production of the antibody as a dominantly expressed immune response gene.
Abstract: Of 26 Ashkenazi Jewish patients with pemphigus vulgaris, 24 (92.3%) carried the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II alleles HLA-DR4, DQw3, of which all were of the subtype DR4, DQw8. From studies of the patients and their families, haplotypes were defined. It was found that, of the patients who carried HLA-DR4, DQw8, 75% carried one or the other (and in one case, both) of two haplotypes [HLA-B38, SC21, DR4] or HLA-B35, SC31, DR4. The former is a known extended haplotype among normal Jews, with a frequency of 0.102, and the latter may also be an extended haplotype in this ethnic group, with a frequency of 0.017 among normal haplotypes from Jews. Of the remaining DR4-positive patients, all but one had a presumed D-region segment (defined as SC21, DR4, DQw8 or SC31, DR4, DQw8 with variable HLA-B) of these haplotypes. Only one patient had DR4, DQw8 without any other markers of the extended haplotypes. The number of homozygotes and heterozygotes for DR4, DQw8 was consistent with dominant but not recessive (P less than 0.01) inheritance of a class II or a class II-linked susceptibility gene for the disease. Since the disease is entirely attributable to the presence of an antibody to an intraepidermal intercellular cement substance, it is likely that the class II susceptibility gene (on [HLA-B38, SC21, DR4, DQw8], HLA-B35, SC31, DR4, DQw8, or their segments, in Jewish patients) controls the production of the antibody as a dominantly expressed immune response gene.
Citations
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TL;DR: A man dies because his body has rejected a heart transplant; a woman is crippled by rheumatoid arthritis; a child goes into a coma that is brought on by cerebral malaria; another child dies of an infection because of an immunodeficiency; an elderly man has advanced hepatic cirrhosis caused by iron overload.
Abstract: A man dies because his body has rejected a heart transplant; a woman is crippled by rheumatoid arthritis; a child goes into a coma that is brought on by cerebral malaria; another child dies of an infection because of an immunodeficiency; an elderly man has advanced hepatic cirrhosis caused by iron overload. These five clinical situations are as diverse as can be, yet all have one thing in common: the cause of all of them involves the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system, the human version of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). Malfunction of the HLA system, which is at the . . .

838 citations

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384 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The structure of HLA-DR2 was determined with a bound peptide from human myelin basic protein (MBP) that is immunodominant for human MBP-specific T cells and a large, primarily hydrophobic P4 pocket that accommodates a phenylalanine of the MBP peptide.
Abstract: Susceptibility to multiple sclerosis is associated with the human histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DR2 (DRB1*1501) haplotype. The structure of HLA-DR2 was determined with a bound peptide from human myelin basic protein (MBP) that is immunodominant for human MBP-specific T cells. Residues of MBP peptide that are important for T cell receptor recognition are prominent, solvent exposed residues in the crystal structure. A distinguishing feature of the HLA-DR2 peptide binding site is a large, primarily hydrophobic P4 pocket that accommodates a phenylalanine of the MBP peptide. The necessary space for this aromatic side chain is created by an alanine at the polymorphic DRβ 71 position. These features make the P4 pocket of HLA-DR2 distinct from DR molecules associated with other autoimmune diseases.

283 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The charge of the P4 pocket in the DR4 peptide binding site appears to be a critical determinant of MHC-linked susceptibility to PV and rheumatoid arthritis.
Abstract: Human T-cell-mediated autoimmune diseases are genetically linked to particular alleles of MHC class II genes. Susceptibility to pemphigus vulgaris (PV), an autoimmune disease of the skin, is linked to a rare subtype of HLA-DR4 (DRB1*0402, 1 of 22 known DR4 subtypes). The PV-linked DR4 subtype differs from a rheumatoid arthritis-associated DR4 subtype (DRB1*0404) only at three residues (DR beta 67, 70, and 71). The disease is caused by autoantibodies against desmoglein 3 (DG), and T cells are thought to trigger the autoantibody production against this keratinocyte adhesion molecule. Based on the DRB1*0402 binding motif, seven candidate peptides of the DG autoantigen were identified. T cells from four PV patients with active disease responded to one of these DG peptides (residues 190-204); two patients also responded to DG-(206-220). T-cell clones specific for DG-(190-204) secreted high levels of interleukins 4 and 10, indicating that they may be important in triggering the production of DG-specific autoantibodies. The DG-(190-204) peptide was presented by the disease-linked DRB1*0402 molecule but not by other DR4 subtypes. Site-directed mutagenesis of DRB1*0402 demonstrated that selective presentation of DG-(190-204), which carries a positive charge at the P4 position, was due to the negatively charged residues of the P4 pocket (DR beta 70 and 71). DR beta 71 has a negative charge in DRB1*0402 but a positive charge in other DR4 subtypes, including the DR4 subtypes linked to rheumatoid arthritis. The charge of the P4 pocket in the DR4 peptide binding site therefore appears to be a critical determinant of MHC-linked susceptibility to PV and rheumatoid arthritis.

235 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Knowing the mechanisms of disease has enabled diagnostic testing for these diseases by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and dissection of various pathophysiological mechanisms, including direct inhibition of cell adhesion, antibody-induced internalization of antigen, and cell signaling.
Abstract: Pemphigus and bullous pemphigoid are autoantibody-mediated blistering skin diseases. In pemphigus, keratinocytes in epidermis and mucous membranes lose cell-cell adhesion, and in pemphigoid, the basal keratinocytes lose adhesion to the basement membrane. Pemphigus lesions are mediated directly by the autoantibodies, whereas the autoantibodies in pemphigoid fix complement and mediate inflammation. In both diseases, the autoantigens have been cloned and characterized; pemphigus antigens are desmogleins (cell adhesion molecules in desmosomes), and pemphigoid antigens are found in hemidesmosomes (which mediate adhesion to the basement membrane). This knowledge has enabled diagnostic testing for these diseases by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and dissection of various pathophysiological mechanisms, including direct inhibition of cell adhesion, antibody-induced internalization of antigen, and cell signaling. Understanding these mechanisms of disease has led to rational targeted therapeutic strategies.

221 citations

References
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: 22 of 26 unrelated extended-haplotype-matched subjects had similar mixed lymphocyte reactivity to HLA-identical siblings, suggesting that matching unrelated individuals for extended haplotypes may match for the genes that cause mixed lymphocytes reactivity.

50 citations