18.: Killer immunoglobulin-like receptors and their HLA ligands in Guillain-Barré syndrome

Abstract

Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is an inflammatory neuropathy that occurs in some individuals after exposure to an infectious illness. We investigated the role of killer-immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) and their HLA ligands as potential genetic factors in the pathogenesis of GBS. These receptors are involved in the innate immune response to infections. Polymerase chain reaction of KIR and their HLA ligands using DNA obtained from subjects with GBS and healthy controls was carried out. Whilst no significant differences in the frequencies of KIR genes were found, HLA-C2 and HLA-B Bw4-T were more frequent in subjects with GBS than controls (p