Detection of HLA-D/DR-related DNA polymorphism in HLA-D homozygous typing cells.

Abstract

Sequences of different sizes are generated when DNA from homozygous HLA-Dw/DR typing cells are digested with restriction endonuclease and analyzed by hybridization with a HLA-D region class II antigen .beta.-chain c[complementary]DNA probe. The patterns of hybridization were highly polymorphic but 1 endonuclease, BamHI, defined sequences unique to all HLA-Dw/DR specificities 1-8 except HLA-Dw/DR 2 and 6; these 2 specificites were resolved with the enzyme ECoRI. Digestion with other endonucleases such as Pst I results in patterns of restriction fragments that differ between homozygous typing cells of the same HLA-Dw/DR specificity. HLA-D region .beta.-chain probes permit HLA-D region genotyping at the DNA level and may allow detection of genes controlling the association of HLA specificities with a wide variety of diseases.