Frequency of DPB1*0401 is significantly decreased in patients with allergic asthma in a mulatto population.

Allergic asthma (AA) is a multifactorial disease in which the IgE hyperresponsiveness to mite allergens is determinant for its pathogenesis and clinical picture. We have reported previously that IgE responsiveness to mite allergens in AA patients is linked to HLA and possibly controlled by a dominant suppression (Is) gene of that region. The present population study was done to detect alleles involved in the genetic control of mite IgE response that accompanies AA, using polymerase chain reaction and oligonucleotide DNA typing of DP locus. Instead of finding any significant positive association with AA, in this study we found that the allele DPB1*0401 is present mainly in the nonallergic control population and strikingly absent in patients (p less than 0.008), suggesting that this gene could confer resistance to AA and other atopic diseases. Our results add more evidence regarding the existence of Is genes in the HLA region involved in the control of IgE immune response to environmental allergens. Furthermore, they suggest that genes of HLA are important genetic components involved in the etiology of AA.