Association of HLA-DRB1 Alleles and Autoimmune Hepatitis in Turkish Patients

Objectives: Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) which ischaracterized by hypergammaglobulinemia and a wide range of circulating auto antibodies is a necro-inflammatory liver disease of unknown aetiology.Immunogenetic studies have shown the associationof autoimmunity with HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigen)alleles. Furthermore, they have shown a decreasein the expression of HLA antigens on lymphocytesurface and a dysregulation of gene expressionarranged by HLA. A significant association is foundbetween AIH and HLA-DRB1*03, *04 and *13 alleles in various studies. We performed HLA-DRB1 geno-typing in Turkish patients with AIH. Patients and Methods: The study group consistedof 113 patients (55 females, 58 males; mean age44.8±21.21; range 10-82) with AIH and 300 healthyindividuals (198 females, 102 males; mean age32.4±10.48; range 17-50). After DNA isolation bystandard methods, HLA-DRB1 typing was per-formed by using polymerase chain reaction amplifi-cation with sequence-specific primers (PCR-SSP). Results: HLA-DRB1*03 allele had a significantlyincreased frequency in the patient group. On the other hand, DRB1*13 allele had a significantly decreased frequency compared with the healthy controls. Conclusion: HLA-DRB1*03 might play a role in thepathogenesis of AIH while HLA-DRB1*13 might have a protective role for AIH.