New polymorphisms of HLA-B27 and other B locus antigens detected by RFLP using a locus-specific probe

Genomic DNA from 46 B27+ ankylosing spondylitis, Reiter's syndrome, or normal individuals was digested with Taq I and probed, in Southern blots, with the HLA-B locus specific probe, EI7. Four restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP), 2.5, 3.4, 3.8 and 4.0 or 8.0 kb, were observed for the B27 gene. In Caucasians, one of the B27 variants (2.5 kb) was more frequent in normals and almost never appeared in patients, suggesting a trend that is not yet statistically significant. In the course of defining the B27 polymorphisms, three and two RFLP, respectively, were also found for the B18 and B44 genes.