Closer association of IA-2 humoral autoreactivity with HLA DR3/4 than DQB1*0201/*0302 in Korean T1D patients

Abstract

The HLA DQB1*0302 allele on DR4 haplotypes is a well-known marker for T1D susceptibility. The contribution of this DQ molecule to overall disease susceptibility may be genotype dependent. On Asian DR4 haplotypes, not only DQB1*0302, but also DQB1*0401 confer susceptibility to T1D, which is mediated by DRB1*0405 on the same haplotype. To analyze further the association of DQB1*0302 and DQB1*0401 haplotypes in Asian patients with T1D, we investigated HLA DR and DQ alleles with the presence or the persistence of GAD, ICA, and IA-2 autoantibodies in 121 Korean T1D patients. In Korean patients, there was an association of IA-2 autoantibedies with DR4 as well as DR3, but not with DQA1*0301-BQB1*03..