Evaluation of HLA-B*51 Subtypes in Behçet's Patients with Uveitis

Aim: The HLA-B*51 allele has been determined to be the most important genetic factor in the pathogenesis of Behcet’s disease (BD). This relationship has been demonstrated in various ethnic groups and many studies have shown sequence alterations in B*51 protein coding regions. To date, 116 different subtypes of HLA-B*51 (HLA-B*51:01-B*51:122) have been identified (IMG/ HLA 3.5.0, June 14, 2011). This study investigated the distribution of B*51 subtypes in patients diagnosed with BD according to the 1990 International Study Group criteria and positive for B*51 compared to healthy controls. Material and Method: DNA was isolated from 40 unrelated B*51- positive BD patients and 54 healthy volunteer bone marrow donors. B*51 subtype analysis was done by polymerase chain reaction with sequence specific primers (PCR-SSP) (One Lambda Inc., CA, USA). Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests were used in the statistical analysis (SPSS version 17.0). Results: There were no statistically significant associations between B*51 subtype and BD patients’ clinical characteristics or laboratory parameters (p<0.05). No significant difference was found between BD patients and controls in the frequency of B*51 subtypes. Conclusion: Although there has been much emphasis on the association between BD and the HLA*5101 subtype, which is a common finding in BD patients in the Turkish population and in other ethnic groups, the presence of this subtype at a comparable frequency in the control group indicates that the development of BD is not attributable to HLA*5101 alone. Our data suggest that in addition to genetic factors, certain environmental factors also play a role in the development of BD