OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relation between the presence of the "rheumatoid epitope," defined by a sequence motif in the HLA-DRB1 alleles, and disease severity in African-American patients with rheumatoid arthritis. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Rheumatology outpatient clinics at two university medical centers. PATIENTS: 86 African-American patients with rheumatoid arthritis (66 seropositive and 20 seronegative for the rheumatoid factor) attending the clinics and 88 healthy African-American persons. MEASUREMENTS: HLA-DRB1 alleles were determined by restriction fragment length polymorphism and by allele-specific oligonucleotide typing of polymerase chain reaction-amplified HLA-DRB1 second exons. RESULTS: With the exception of an increased frequency of HLA-DRB1*04 alleles in seropositive patients with rheumatoid arthritis (27.3%) compared with controls (13.1%) (P = 0.02), the frequencies of HLA-DRB1 alleles were similar in patients and controls. Most seropositive (48 of 66) and seronegative (15 of 20) patients were HLA-DR4 negative, but some (7 of 48 seropositive patients and 3 of 15 seronegative persons) inherited the rheumatoid epitope on a non-DR4 allele. Disease features, including severity, were similar for patients without the epitope and for those with either a single or a double dose of an epitope-positive allele. Positivity for rheumatoid factor, but not for the rheumatoid epitope, was weakly associated with severity in these patients. CONCLUSION: Most African-American patients with rheumatoid arthritis did not express the rheumatoid epitope. The predisposition to and severity of rheumatoid arthritis in African-Americans appears to be independent of the presence and dose of the shared rheumatoid epitope.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relation between the presence of the "rheumatoid epitope," defined by a sequence motif in the HLA-DRB1 alleles, and disease severity in African-American patients with rheumatoid arthritis. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Rheumatology outpatient clinics at two university medical centers. PATIENTS: 86 African-American patients with rheumatoid arthritis (66 seropositive and 20 seronegative for the rheumatoid factor) attending the clinics and 88 healthy African-American persons. MEASUREMENTS: HLA-DRB1 alleles were determined by restriction fragment length polymorphism and by allele-specific oligonucleotide typing of polymerase chain reaction-amplified HLA-DRB1 second exons. RESULTS: With the exception of an increased frequency of HLA-DRB1*04 alleles in seropositive patients with rheumatoid arthritis (27.3%) compared with controls (13.1%) (P = 0.02), the frequencies of HLA-DRB1 alleles were similar in patients and controls. Most seropositive (48 of 66) and seronegative (15 of 20) patients were HLA-DR4 negative, but some (7 of 48 seropositive patients and 3 of 15 seronegative persons) inherited the rheumatoid epitope on a non-DR4 allele. Disease features, including severity, were similar for patients without the epitope and for those with either a single or a double dose of an epitope-positive allele. Positivity for rheumatoid factor, but not for the rheumatoid epitope, was weakly associated with severity in these patients. CONCLUSION: Most African-American patients with rheumatoid arthritis did not express the rheumatoid epitope. The predisposition to and severity of rheumatoid arthritis in African-Americans appears to be independent of the presence and dose of the shared rheumatoid epitope.
Authors: L A Criswell; K G Saag; T R Mikuls; J R Cerhan; L A Merlino; R F Lum; K A Pfeiffer; B Woehl; M F Seldin Journal: Ann Rheum Dis Date: 2006-08-03 Impact factor: 19.103
Authors: D Jawaheer; M F Seldin; C I Amos; W V Chen; R Shigeta; J Monteiro; M Kern; L A Criswell; S Albani; J L Nelson; D O Clegg; R Pope; H W Schroeder ; S L Bridges ; D S Pisetsky; R Ward; D L Kastner; R L Wilder; T Pincus; L F Callahan; D Flemming; M H Wener; P K Gregersen Journal: Am J Hum Genet Date: 2001-03-09 Impact factor: 11.025
Authors: Paula I Burgos; Zenoria L Causey; Ashutosh Tamhane; James M Kelley; Elizabeth E Brown; Laura B Hughes; Maria I Danila; Amalia van Everdingen; Doyt L Conn; Beth L Jonas; Leigh F Callahan; Edwin A Smith; Richard D Brasington; Larry W Moreland; Désirée M van der Heijde; Graciela S Alarcón; S Louis Bridges Journal: Arthritis Res Ther Date: 2010-05-05 Impact factor: 5.156
Authors: Damini Jawaheer; Wentian Li; Robert R Graham; Wei Chen; Aarti Damle; Xiangli Xiao; Joanita Monteiro; Houman Khalili; Annette Lee; Robert Lundsten; Ann Begovich; Teodorica Bugawan; Henry Erlich; James T Elder; Lindsey A Criswell; Michael F Seldin; Christopher I Amos; Timothy W Behrens; Peter K Gregersen Journal: Am J Hum Genet Date: 2002-08-09 Impact factor: 11.025