Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of two HLA-B-associated transcripts (BATs) genes in healthy Danes

The restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of the two human HLA-B-associated transcripts (BATs) genes, BAT1 and BAT2, was investigated using 5 different restriction enzymes and two human BAT1 and BAT2 cDNA probes. Two of the enzymes, NcoI and RsaI, revealed polymorphic patterns which were investigated in healthy Danes. The cDNA/restriction enzyme combination BAT1/NcoI identifies polymorphic bands at 12 kb, 8 kb, 2.5 kb, and 1.1 kb, while the BAT2/RsaI combination identifies polymorphic bands at 3.3 kb, 2.7 kb, 2.3 kb, and 0.9 kb. The frequencies of these markers were determined in 90 unrelated Danes. Co-dominant segregation and allelic behavior was seen for the BAT1/NcoI 12 kb and 8 kb bands and the BAT2/RsaI 2.7 kb and 2.3 kb bands, respectively. It is possible that the BAT2/RsaI 3.3 kb band represents a rare allele of the BAT2/RsaI system. The BAT2/RsaI 2.3 kb marker was strongly negatively associated with HLA-B8 and HLA-DR3 while there were no strong associations between the BAT1 and BAT2 markers, but the BAT2/RsaI 2.7 kb marker was strongly positively associated with the TNF alpha/NcoI 5.5 kb marker, which in turn is positively associated with HLA-B8 and HLA-DR3. The negative associations between the BAT2/RsaI 2.3 kb marker and HLA-B8 and HLA-DR3 raise the question as to whether this BAT allele may play a role in protecting against certain autoimmune diseases.