The HLA association with rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is primarily associated with HLA-DR4 in a wide range of ethnic groups. DNA analysis of HLA-DRB1 sequences shows that a limited set of alleles are positively associated with the disease. Third hypervariable region sequences QRRAA, QKRAA and RRRAA are found in up to 85% of RA patients and may constitute the basic unit of association. Risk estimates for alleles and hypervariable regions differ between ethnic groups and subsets of patients. Severe RA and Felty's syndrome are significantly associated with DR4 Dw4 and, to a lesser extent, with DR4 Dw14. In patients the latter allele is almost exclusively found in combination with Dw4, suggesting that complementation is occurring. Critical substitutions in the peptide binding groove correlate with the presence of RA, suggesting that the disease may be driven by the presentation of specifically bound peptide and/or may be influenced by differential selection of the T cell repertoire.