Human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-DRB1 allele polymorphisms and systemic sclerosis.

ABSTRACT

Objectives: Human leukocyteantigen (HLA) is the most important gene for immune system regulation. Although studies have evaluated the association between HLA-DRB1 allele polymorphisms and systemic sclerosis (SSc), their results are still controversial. We performed a meta-analysis to assess the association of HLA-DRB1 alleles with risk of SSc.Methods: Electronic database were systematically searched for articles, a total of 11 case-control studies including 3268 cases and 5548 controls were analyzed. Odds ratio (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals were used to assess the association of HLA-DRB1 alleles with SSc. The relationship between SSc-related autoantibodies and DRB1 alleles was also analyzed.Results: In the overall analysis, four alleles (DRB1*0403, DRB1*08, DRB1*11, and DRB1*1104) increased the risk of SSc; however, five alleles (DRB1*07, DRB1*1101, DRB1*13, DRB1*1301, and DRB1*14) had the opposite effect. Analysis of subgroups by ethnicity indicate that DRB1*1101 and DRB1*1301 confer a protective effect in Caucasians, while DRB1*1104 was associated with a higher risk of SSc. For Asian, DRB1*1302 was found to be a protective factor. In addition, the frequency of DRB1*1104 alleles was significantly increased in ATA+ SSc patients compared with ATA- SSc patients.Conclusion: DRB1*0403, DRB1*08, DRB1*11, and DRB1*1104 were associated with the risk of SSc. Additionally, DRB1*11 and DRB1*1104 were association with ATAs.