Cystic fibrosis (CF) is classically attributed to the dysfunction of the single CF transmembrane conductance regulator gene. The incidence of human leukocyte antigen (HLA) polymorphisms in different CF-associated diseases raises the question of an unequal distribution of HLA genotypes in CF. This study aimed to evaluate HLA gene frequencies and possible associations in CF patients compared with a control population. Frequencies of HLA-DRB1, HLA-DQA1 and HLA-DQB1, performed by intermediate resolution typing using Luminex sequence-specific oligonucleotide, and epitope counts were similar in 340 CF patients when compared with 400 control subjects. In conclusion, HLA-DRB1, -DQA1 and -DQB1 do not seem to influence susceptibility to CF. Whether HLA plays a role in the severity of CF disease needs to be investigated.
Keywords: HLA antigens; HLA-DQ alpha-chains; HLA-DQ beta-chains; HLA-DRB1 chains; cystic fibrosis; cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator.
© 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.