W. Verduyn

Biotinylated DRB sequence-specific oligonucleotides : comparison to serologic HLA-DR typing of organ donors in Eurotransplant

A novel HLA-DR typing method was applied using PCR-amplified fragments and biotin-labeled oligonucleotides (PCR-biotin-SSO). The PCR-biotin-SSO method can be used efficiently to perform HLA-DR typing for a large number of individuals when time is not the limiting factor. The reliability of HLA typing of cadaveric organ donors is of vital importance for organ exchange organizations such as ET. Due to lack of time, these typings are usually performed by the complement-dependent cytotoxicity. The individual donor center typings are immediately reported to ET, where the recipient selection procedure is started. DNA isolated from donor spleen material, sent to the ETRL for retyping purposes, was subjected to PCR-biotin-SSO typing. The results were compared with the serological HLA-DR typings as reported to ET. The analysis of 1052 donor samples for the broad DR1-DR10 antigens revealed a concordance rate of over 90% between the donor center and the ETRL. The majority of the discrepancies involved specificities of the HLA-DR5, DR6, and DR8 cross-reacting group, with DR6 as the predominant discordant specificity. The results indicate (a) that PCR-biotin-SSO is a reliable technique for DNA-based HLA-DR typing and (b) that HLA-DR serology is still a useful technique when time is limited, such as for cadaveric donor typing.

HLA-DQ-associated predisposition to and dominant HLA-DR-associated protection against rheumatoid arthritis

We have recently proposed a new hypothesis to explain the association of Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) predisposition. In this model, which challenges the Shared Epitope (SE) hypothesis, HLA-DQ predisposes while HLA-DR protects. In the present study, we have compared these two models in an Early Arthritis Clinic started in 1993 in the Department of Rheumatology at the Leiden University Medical Centre. Out of 524 patients who enrolled this programme in the period 1993-1998 and completed the one year follow-up, 155 have been classified as RA. These patients along with 306 consecutive cadaveric renal organ donors have been typed for HLA-DR and -DQ. The distributions of predisposing DR alleles according to SE, and predisposing DQ and protective DR according to our model were analysed. We found that two doses of predisposing DQ alleles strongly predisposed to RA, even in individuals with a single dose of SE while DRB1 alleles carrying the motif DERAA confered a dominant protection in DQ5-positive individuals. We conclude that the present findings are consistent with our previously described model of HLA and RA association. Using this new model, we have been able to characterise two novel groups of individuals on the basis of their HLA typing: one strongly predisposed to RA and one protected. Knowing the mechanism of HLA-related dominant natural protection may help in designing novel treatment modalities for RA.

An extended HLA-DQ-DR haplotype rather than DRB1 alone contributes to RA predisposition

Abstract In the present study, we tested our hypothesis on the role of a DQ-DR haplotype in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) predisposition. Using two groups of patients and controls, one from The Netherlands and one from Switzerland, we found that DQA1*0301-homozygous and DQA1*0301//DQA1*0101/04-heterozygous individuals are highly predisposed to RA in both populations, while DQA1*0101/04-homozygous are not. The DQA1*0301-DRB1*0403/06/07 and DQA1*0301-DRB1*0901 haplotypes are not associated with RA by themselves but strongly increase the risk of developing disease in DQA1*0301- and DQA1*0101/04-heterozygous. DRB1 alleles carrying the motif DERAA in their third hypervariable region, i.e., *0103, *0402, *1102, *1103, *1301, and *1302, provide a long-lasting protection against RA in DQA1*0101/04- but not in DQA1*0301-positive individuals. These data show that considering both DQ and DR gives a better distinction between patients and controls than the shared epitope hypothesis.

Functional versus structural matching: can the CTLp test be replaced by HLA allele typing?

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) incompatibilities are the most important immunological barriers to bone marrow transplant success when using unrelated donors. Until recently, standards for donor selection included serological methods for HLA class I antigens and DNA-based typing for HLA class II alleles. In our center cytotoxic T-lymphocyte precursor (CTLp) assays have been an integrated part of the search selection procedure as well. More recently, DNA-based typing for HLA class I became available. This allowed us to determine the correlation of CTLp frequencies directed against incompatibilities at the HLA-A, -B, and -C locus in 211 donor-recipient pairs. HLA class I incompatibilities are significantly (p < 0.001) associated with high CTLp frequencies. Exceptions did occur, high CTLp frequencies are seen in 14% of the HLA-A, -B, and -C allele matched pairs, whereas in 7% of the pairs mismatched for HLA-A or -B a low CTLp frequency occurred. The successful outcome of transplants performed in the latter cases suggest that the CTLp test can be used as a tool to detect permissible mismatches when no fully matched donor is available. The influence of HLA-C mismatches on the CTLp outcome was less clear. Although in the majority of mismatched pairs (64%) the CTLp frequency was high, in 36% of the pairs the CTLp frequency was low. Analysis of HLA amino acid sequences was performed on the HLA-C allele mismatched group. An amino acid difference was always found at five polymorphic positions 97, 99, 113, 114, and 116 situated at the peptide binding groove in the high CTLp frequency group, whereas in the low CTLp frequency group this was observed in only 9 of 17 combinations (p < 0.001). However, this is mainly due to Cw*0303-0304 mismatches. In conclusion, although there is a highly significant correlation between the outcome of the CTLp frequency test and HLA allele class I typing, exceptions occur. It is unclear whether they are all clinically relevant but they certainly provide additional insight in allograft recognition.

Oligonucleotide typing is a perfect tool to identify antigens stimulatory in the mixed lymphocyte culture

An important criterion for the selection of donors for bone marrow transplantation is the grade of matching for HLA between donor and recipient. For patients that lack an HLA-identical sibling, an extending pool of unrelated volunteers for bone marrow donation is available. From these donors the best matched candidate can be selected by serological typing, followed by a mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC). Oligonucleotide genotyping for HLA class II antigens is considered to be valuable for the prediction of MLC reactivity. We investigated whether this typing method, in combination with serological typing, would cover the recognition of all MLC stimulatory determinants. One hundred thirty-six combinations of HLA-A, -B, and -DR serologically identical individuals were tested in the MLC. Additional typing for HLA-DRB and HLA-DPB by oligonucleotide genotyping made it possible to evaluate the influence of these genes on MLC reactivity. Combinations that were matched for HLA-DRB gave significantly lower responses than those that were mismatched. Nevertheless, in the matched combinations responses were observed to 94% relative response index. These responses could all be attributed to HLA-DP, since all combinations that were identical by HLA-DPB genotyping were negative in the MLC. In conclusion, with the combined use of serology and oligonucleotide genotyping, responder-stimulator combinations can be selected that are identical for all MLC stimulatory determinants.

Increasing complexity of HLA-DR2 as detected by serology and oligonucleotide typing

Serological and oligonucleotide typing was performed on a number of HLA-DR2-positive cells from different ethnic origin, including DR2 haplotypes with various DQ associations. Exons 2 of DRB1 and DRB5 of DR2-positive individuals were locus-specific amplified and hybridized with a number of different oligonucleotides capable of discriminating between the various Dw2, Dw12, Dw21, and Dw22 associated sequences. The linkage of DRB with DQA1 and DQB1 in these haplotypes was analyzed. Among the DR2- positive cells we could define 10 different DR DQ haplotypes by serology and 13 by oligonucleotide typing. The DR2.ES specificity is a serological DRw15 variant which could not be discriminated by oligonucleotide typing from a DRw15 DQw5 haplotype. The DR2.JA variant represents a unique DRB1*1602 DRB5*0101 haplotype. The DR1+2s haplotype consists of a DRB1 DQ region from a Dw1 and a DRB5 gene from a Dw2 haplotype. Its short DR2 serum pattern can be explained by the absence of a DR2 DRB1 gene product. DRB5*0101 sequences were found in association with DRB1*1501, *1502, *1602, and *0101 alleles. Since the DRB5 gene is capable of such different associations it is comparable to the DRB3 and DRB4 genes. This may have implications for the definition of the broad DR2 specificity which is predominantly encoded by the DRB5 gene product. New DR2 haplotypes included the following DQ combinations: DQw2-positive DQA1/B1*0301/0201 and DQw6-positive DQA1/B1*0102/0601 and *0102/0603 haplotypes.

Relation between HLA genes, human skin volatiles and attractiveness of humans to malaria mosquitoes

Chemical cues are considered to be the most important cues for mosquitoes to find their hosts and humans can be ranked for attractiveness to mosquitoes based on the chemical cues they emit. Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes are considered to be involved in the regulation of human body odor and may therefore affect human attractiveness to mosquitoes, and hence, affect the force of malaria transmission. In the present study the correlations between HLA profiles, human skin volatiles and human attractiveness to the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae Giles sensu stricto were examined. Skin emanations of 48 volunteers were collected by rubbing a foot over glass beads. Previously the attractiveness of these emanations to An. gambiae was determined. In this study, the chemical composition of these emanations was determined by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) and blood samples of all volunteers were taken for HLA analysis. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), Fishers exact test and random forest regression were used to test for correlations between individuals classified as either highly or poorly attractive to mosquitoes and their HLA profile and volatile composition. HLA profiling suggests that people carrying HLA gene Cw∗07 are more attractive to mosquitoes. GC-MS revealed that limonene, 2-phenylethanol and 2-ethyl-1-hexanol were associated with individuals that were poorly attractive to An.gambiae and lactic acid, 2-methylbutanoic acid, tetradecanoic acid and octanal with individuals that were highly attractive. Such compounds offer potential for disruption of mosquito behavior in malaria intervention programs.

Irregular polymerase chain reaction—sequence-specific oligonucleotide hybridization patterns reveal seven new HLA-DRB1 alleles related to DR2, DR3, DR6, DR8, and DR11: Implications for sequence-specific priming

In the past 3 years we have typed over 7000 individuals for HLA-DRB using a nonradioactive PCR-SSO method. The use of locally developed computer programs simplified data input and the interpretation of the DRB PCR-SSO readings. In this way we detected a number of samples with unexpected hybridization patterns. DRB1 exon 2 segments of these samples were amplified, cloned, and sequenced and appeared to identify seven new DRB alleles: DRB1*0304, a DRB1*0301 variant, was observed in three unrelated Caucasoid individuals; DRB1*1606, which is very similar to *1603; DRB1*1113 is a *1101 variant with some *1401 sequences; DRB1*1310 is *1301-like; DRB1*1311 is similar to *1305 and *1307; DRB1*1416 is a *1401 sequence with a HV3 derived from *1301; DRB1*0808 was found in an Ethiopian individual. Next, we studied the effectiveness of PCR-SSP typing of the newly defined DRB1 alleles. Only two variants were distinguished as odd by PCR-SSP and two were typed as regular specificities. Three alleles were not amplified by the primer sets used. As compared to PCR-SSO, the PCR-SSP typing method using currently available typing kits clearly has limitations as far as the recognition of new and variant alleles is concerned. The products of some of these new alleles may be distinguished using conventional serology.

Novel HLA-DPB1 alleles detected in the ethiopian population

The number of identified HLA-DPB1 alleles increased rapidly by application of DNA-based typing techniques. PCR-SSO typing indicated the presence of possible new HLA-DPB1 variants in the Ethiopian population. The use of the SBT technique, which considers polymorphic as well as constant regions in the second exon of HLA genes, allowed direct identification of two new allelic variants. Moreover, a recently identified HLA-DPA1 variant was also present in this population. The newly defined allelic HLA-DPB1 sequences found in five individuals of the Ethiopian population were confirmed by cloning and subsequent sequencing of the cloned DNA. One of the new alleles was shown to segregate in a family and was also present in unrelated individuals. Both new DPB1 alleles represent new combinations of existing polymorphism in the hypervariable regions. In different populations the frequency of these new HLA-DP variants remains to be determined.

Thirty-six novel HLA alleles: 7 HLA-A, 11 HLA-B, 15 HLA-C and 3 HLA-DRB1.

Thirty-six novel human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles are described in this article: A*9225N, A*9234, A*030106, A*0337, A*2317, A*2480, A*3023; B*070206, B*0759, B*0761, B*0765, B*150106, B*1827, B*352002, B*3585, B*3943, B*4082, B*5151; Cw*0342, Cw*0343, Cw*0344, Cw*0428, Cw*0430, Cw*0433, Cw*050104, Cw*0519, Cw*060203, Cw*070109, Cw*070202, Cw*0750, Cw*0815, Cw*120306, Cw*1409; DRB1*0336, DRB1*0473 and DRB1*1382.