Japanese Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Major Histocompatibility Complex

Abstract

Fifty five Japanese patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were determined for HLA class I (HLA-A, -B and -C), II (HLA-DR and -DQ) and III (C2, C4 and Bf allotypes) antigens. The antigen frequencies were compared with those of 420 (class I and II) and 55 (class III) normal Japanese controls. As a result, the followings were clarified first on Japanese SLE.1. Japanese SLE was associated with C4A0, a C4 allotype of HLA class III. This was the first HLA allotype common in Japanese and Caucasian SLE.2. The haplotype with linkage disequilibrium in Japanese Patients with SLE was the haplotype Bw62-C4A0-DR4.1, which was quite different with Bw56-C4A0-DRw12 or w6 commonly seen in normal Japanese controls.3. SLE diagnosed clinically seemed to be hetorogenous pathogenetically.