Molecular mapping of the HLA class II region in HLA-DR3 associated idiopathic membranous nephropathy

Susceptibility to IMN is associated, in European Caucasoids, with the extended HLA haplotype in A1, B8, and DR3. It is unclear from previous investigations of HLA class II genes whether the association with A1, B8, DR3 is due to an HLA-DR or -DQ locus, or both, or to another locus linked to HLA class II. To examine genetic polymorphism over a more extensive area of DNA than previously, we carried out long range mapping of the HLA class II region of A1, B8, DR3 patients and healthy controls to discover if new markers of disease could be identified at this level of organization. Large fragments of genomic DNA were cut using enzymes with infrequent restriction sites, and were separated by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and analyzed using a series of probes which cover the HLA class II region. In several different DR3 haplotypes examined, the overall content of DNA and organization of the class II region were similar. However, both patient and control B8, DR3 haplotypes contained an extra Pvul site in the DRB region, compared to the disease-neutral B18, DR3 haplotype. Further, the DP region of the patient B8, DR3 haplotypes contained an additional partial BssHII cutting site which was not identified in the control B8, DR3 haplotypes. This structural heterogeneity in the vicinity of DP could have implications for genetic susceptibility to IMN and for linkage disequilibrium.