Polymorphisms of HLA DQB1 CAR1/CAR2 and TNFalpha IR2/IR4 microsatellite markers in patients affected with Graves disease.

Graves disease is an autoimmune thyroid disorder in which HLA class I and II confer susceptibility in different ethnic groups. An allele-specific polymerase chain reaction was used to characterize the variation of the HLA-DQB1 CAR1/CAR2 and TNFalpha markers located on chromosome 6 in 85 unrelated Tunisian patients affected with Graves disease and 148 healthy control subjects. In contrast to the results regarding TNFalpha alleles showing no difference between patients and controls (P = 0.904), the analysis of the HLA-DQB1 CAR1/CAR2 polymorphism showed a significant difference in its alleles (P < 0.0001). Nevertheless, no allele exhibited a predispositional effect on GD pathogenesis. Copyright 2000 Academic Press.