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Remarkable Polymorphism of HLA-B27: An Ongoing Saga

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Abstract

Histocompatibility antigen HLA-B27 is a normal gene that is distributed worldwide with variable prevalence and shows a remarkable association with ankylosing spondylitis and related spondyloarthropathies. The precise biological explanation for this remarkable association remains elusive. HLA-B27 represents a family of closely related proteins encoded by an ever-increasing number of alleles; there are 75 alleles of HLA-B27 known thus far, based on nucleotide sequence differences, but at the translated protein level, there are 62 known subtypes of HLA-B27. Not all subtypes are disease associated. Moreover, existence of a possible hierarchical ranking among some of the subtypes for their disease association has been observed.

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  1. Division of Rheumatology, MetroHealth Medical Center, 2500 MetroHealth Drive, Cleveland, OH, 44109, USA

    Muhammad Asim Khan

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  1. Muhammad Asim Khan
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Correspondence to Muhammad Asim Khan.

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Khan, M.A. Remarkable Polymorphism of HLA-B27: An Ongoing Saga. Curr Rheumatol Rep 12, 337–341 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11926-010-0126-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11926-010-0126-x

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