The Human Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) plays a crucial role in transplantation, transfusion, paternity test and assessment of susceptibility to some diseases associated with HLA-B27. Three of the most fashionable methods for determination of HLA antigens in clinical and research laboratories are microlymphocytotoxicity (MLCT), flowcytometry and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). T...

BACKGROUND Birdshot chorioretinitis (BSCR) is a rare ocular inflammatory disorder associated with HLA-A29 and characterized by bilateral choroidal lesions, vitritis, macular edema, and retinal vasculitis. Ocular inflammation associated with HLA-B27 is typically a recurrent, unilateral, acute anterior uveitis (AAU) that is frequently associated with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). To date, there ar...

1.1 What is it? Juvenile SpA-ERA constitutes a group of chronic inflammatory diseases of the joints (arthritis), as well as tendon and ligament attachments to certain bones (enthesitis) and affects predominantly the lower limbs and in some cases the pelvic and spinal joints (sacroiliitis buttock pain and spondylitis back pain). Juvenile SpA-ERA is significantly more common in people that have a...

To establish the optimal flow cytometric method for HLA-B27 phenotyping, we compared several strategies, using three monoclonal anti-B27 antibodies (from the HLA-ABC-m3, GS145.2, and FD705 clones). We used a triple-color direct immunofluorescence assay, including a T-lymphocyte-specific antibody as an internal control and an anti-HLA-Bw4 antibody. Blood samples from >400 subjects were tested. F...

We have studied the antigen frequencies in a group of adult patients with acute and chronic iridocyclitis and chronic, cyclitis. In patients with iridocyclitis a statistically significant increased incidence of HLA-B27 was noted, even in those patients without joint or systemic disease. Patients with chronic iridocyclitis also were noted to have an increased incidence of B27; however, those pat...

Antibody production in response to the primary immunogen bacteriophage 4iX174 was investigated in 14 patients with previous yersinia arthritis (YA) and in 15 controls. HLA-B27 occurred in 10 patients with YA and in three controls. After primary and secondary immunisation the antibody responses were essentially similar both in patients with YA and controls. Consequently our results suggest that ...

We describe the use of flow cytofluorometry to type lymphocytes for HLA-B27 antigens. We modified the cytotoxicity test of Terasaki and McClelland [Nature (London) 1964;204:998] for use with a flow cytofluorometer. In a second assay we used a commercially available monoclonal anti-HLA-B27 antibody and indirect immunofluorescence staining of cell surfaces. Although this antibody cross reacts wit...

OBJECTIVE The leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor (LILR) family includes inhibitory and stimulatory members which bind to classical and non-classical HLA-class I. The ligands for many LILR including LILRB5 have not yet been identified. METHODS We generated C-terminal eGFP and N-terminal FLAG-tagged fusion constructs for monitoring LILR expression. We screened for LILR binding to HLA-class ...

OBJECTIVE To study HLA class I and class II association in Tunisian patients with reactive (ReA) and undifferentiated arthritis (UA). METHODS The study included 17 patients with ReA defined according to the European Spondylarthropathy Study Group criteria for spondylarthropathy (SpA), 11 patients classified as having undifferentiated arthritis and 100 unrelated healthy controls. HLA class I a...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW The hallmark of ankylosing spondylitis is acute and chronic spinal inflammation initiating in the sacroiliac joints, often coupled with enthesitis, presenting as chronic inflammation at the sites of ligamentous and tendinous insertions into bone. Peripheral joint synovitis can be a prominent feature as well. Reactive arthritis is a sterile synovitis arising after an extra-arti...