A decrease in the estimated frequency of the extended HLA haplotype B18 CF130 DR3 DQw2 is common to...

Extended HLA haplotypes frequencies were estimated from the HLA, C2, Bf and C4 phenotypes of 74 patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes (NIDD), 92 with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), 44 with Berger's disease (BD), 83 with insulin-dependent diabetes (IDD), and 140 healthy controls. The extended HLA haplotype B18 CF130 DR3 DQw2, which is common (around 10% phenotype frequency) in healthy Spaniards and in other populations of paleo-North African origin, was found to be significantly less frequent in NIDD, JRA and BD, whereas its frequency was normal in IDD (although DR3 DQw2 haplotypes were increased in the latter disease). These data support the existence of a common HLA-linked pathogeneic mechanism in NIDD, JRA and BD, and point to a genetic difference between IDD and NIDD at the HLA level. This effect is readily detectable in our population because the uncommon BfF1 allele marks that haplotype instead of the more common BfS, which marks B8 CS01 DR3 DQw2 in other Caucasians. Our results support the hypothesis of strong selective pressures operating at the HLA level to preserve extended HLA haplotypes with advantageous gene sets from dilution by crossing-over. Imbalanced incomplete haplotypes may give rise to inappropriate T-cell repertoire selection in the thymus and/or antigen handling in the periphery, and be partly responsible for the pathogenesis of certain HLA-linked diseases (i.e. NIDD, JRA, and BD).