HLA A1-B8-DR3-DQ2 - Importance To Medicine - in Coeliac Disease & Dermatitis Herpetiformis

In Coeliac Disease & Dermatitis Herpetiformis

Prior to refined typing for HLA-DQ and DR, the association with HLA-A1 and B8 was identified for coeliac disease in 1973 and dermatitis herpetiformis in 1976 . Because of the haplotype it became possible to identify the genetic risk even though disease causing genes, a DQ2 haplotype, was 1.3 million nucleotides away.

Further information: HLA-DQ2 in coeliac disease and HLA-DQ2.5 in gluten immunochemistry

Aside from the highly studied link between DQ2.5 and coeliac disease, there are additional risk factors on the B8::DQ2 haplotype that increase risk of dermatitis herpetiformis in coeliac disease. The involvement of other A1::DQ2 gene-alleles in coeliac disease cannot be excluded, either. For example, MICA and MICB are mhc class 1 genes found expressed in the epithelium of the gut.