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Analysis of human leukocyte antigen-G polymorphism including intron 4 in Japanese couples with habitual abortion
T Yamashita1, T Fujii, K Tokunaga
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tokyo, Japan.
Problem:
The purpose of this study was to clarify whether there is a difference between the allele frequency of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G in healthy Japanese people and that of Japanese couples with habitual abortion.
Method Of Study:
Exons 2, 3, 4, and intron 4 of the HLA-G gene were analyzed in 20 couples with habitual abortion, using polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis. Intron 4 of the HLA-G gene was also analyzed in 54 healthy individuals. The nucleotide sequence of the PCR product of intron 4 was further determined by direct sequencing.
Results:
Two kinds of nucleotide sequence were identified in intron 4 of the HLA-G gene, one of which was identical to that of HLA-G*01011, and the other was identical to that of HLA-G*01012, G*01013, and G*0104. The frequency of each allele in affected women and their husbands did not significantly differ from that of healthy individuals, and no mutation was found in any affected couple.
Conclusion:
HLA-G allelic abnormality seemed to have little, if any, implication in the pathogenesis of habitual abortion.