Human Leukocyte Antigens-B and -C Loci Associated with Posner-Schlossman Syndrome in a Southern Chinese Population

The etiology of Posner-Schlossman syndrome (PSS) remains unknown. The association of human leukocyte antigens (HLA) allelic diversity with PSS has been poorly investigated. To evaluate the association of allelic polymorphisms of class I HLA-A, -B and -C and class II HLA-DRB1 and -DQB1 with PSS, 100 unrelated patients with PSS and 128 age- and ethnically matched control subjects were recruited from a southern Chinese Han population. Polymorphisms in exons 2–4 for HLA-A, -B, -C loci, exon 2 for HLA-DRB1 and exons 2,3 for HLA-DQB1 were analyzed for association with PSS at allele and haplotype levels. The allele frequency of HLA-C*1402 in PSS patients was significantly higher than that in controls (P = 0.002, OR = 4.12). This association survived the Bonferroni correction (Pc = 0.04). The allele frequency of HLA-B*1301 in PSS patients was lower than that in the control group (P = 0.003, OR = 0.21), although this association did not survive the Bonferroni correction (Pc = 0.16). In PSS patients, the haplotype frequencies of HLA-A*1101~C*1402 and B*5101~C*1402 were higher than that in controls (P = 0.03, OR = 4.44; P = 0.02, OR = 3.20; respectively), while the HLA-B*1301~C*0304 was lower than that in controls (P = 0.007, OR = 0.23), although these associations did not survive the Bonferroni correction (Pc > 0.16). This study for the first time demonstrated that polymorphisms at the HLA-B and HLA-C loci were nominally associated with PSS in the southern Chinese Han population. Our results suggest that HLA-C*1402, A*1101~C*1402 and B*5101~C*1402 might be risk factors for PSS, whereas HLA-B*1301 plus B*1301~C*0304 might be protective factors against PSS, but even larger datasets are required to confirm these findings. Findings from this study provide valuable new clues for investigating the mechanisms and development of new diagnosis and treatment for PSS

The demographic and clinical features of the PSS cases and controls.

<p>Abbreviations: PSS, Posner-Schlossman syndrome; IOP, intraocular pressure;KPs, keratic precipitates.</p><p>^a Independent-samples T test</p><p>^b χ² test.</p><p>The demographic and clinical features of the PSS cases and controls.</p

Significant alleles and haplotypes associated with PSS.

<p>Abbreviations: PSS, Posner-Schlossman syndrome; <i>P</i>_<i>c</i>, Bonferroni corrected <i>P</i> value by multiplying the <i>P</i> value with the number of tests performed; CI, confidence interval; OR, odds ratio; χ² test was used.</p><p>Significant alleles and haplotypes associated with PSS.</p

Frequencies of HLA-C,-DQB1 and-DQB1 alleles in PSS cases and controls.

<p>The allele frequencies were presented as allele count (%). Abbreviations: PSS, Posner-Schlossman syndrome; χ² test was used.</p><p>Frequencies of HLA-C,-DQB1 and-DQB1 alleles in PSS cases and controls.</p

Frequencies of HLA-A and-B alleles in PSS cases and controls.

<p>The allele frequencies were presented as allele count (%). Abbreviations: PSS, Posner-Schlossman syndrome; χ² test was used.</p><p>Frequencies of HLA-A and-B alleles in PSS cases and controls.</p