Analysis of HLA-DPB1 Polymorphisms in African–Americans with Sarcoidosis

Abstract

Several studies have found weak associations between certain human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles and sarcoidosis, but none have been conclusive. Glutamic acid at position 69 in HLA-DPB1 has been reported to be strongly associated with chronic beryllium disease. The immunopathologic and clini- cal similarities between chronic beryllium disease (CBD) and sarcoidosis suggest that similar immune- response genes may be involved in susceptibility in both diseases. We analyzed the DNA sequence of HLA-DPB1 exon 2, which contains the hypervariable regions involved in binding antigens, in blood samples from African-American sarcoidosis patients and healthy controls. Results indicate that Val 36 (odds ratio (OR) 5 2.30) and Asp 55 (OR 5 2.03) are associated with increased risk for sarcoidosis, but no association with Glu 69 was found. These results suggest that although HLA-DPB1 Glu 69 is not asso-