Comparative analysis of HLA polymorphism at the serologic and molecular level in Moroccan and Ashkenazi Jews.

The Jewish people comprise two major groups, one encompassing the Jews of Ashkenazi (Central and Eastern European) origin and the other including those of Sephardic (Middle Eastern and North African) descent. To the latter belong the Jews of Moroccan stock, who form the largest Jewish subgroup among the non-Ashkenazi population living in Israel. As the members of each of these groups differ in physiognomy and life style, it was of interest to investigate whether these differences are also reflected in their respective HLA compositions.

Do specific pockets of HLA-C molecules predispose Jewish patients to psoriasis vulgaris?

Background: Psoriasis vulgaris was reported to be associated with a specific alanine residue at position 73 of HLA-C alleles in Japanese patients.

Objective: Our purpose was to determine the role of HLA genes in susceptibility to psoriasis vulgaris in the Israeli Jewish population.

Methods: Twenty-eight Israeli patients were analyzed for their HLA class I and II specificities by means of serologic and molecular methods.

HLA polymorphism in Moroccan Jewry.

The Moroccan Jewish community living in Israel shows a relatively large genetic distance from other North African Jewish communities. In this work the polymorphism of HLA class I and class II determinants, as defined by serology and oligotyping, is analyzed in 113 healthy unrelated Jews of Moroccan stock. The class I antigens HLA-A1, -B44, and -Cw7 showed the highest frequency, while the most prevalent class II variants were DRB1*0701 and *1104, DQA1*0501, and DQB1*0201 and *0301.

Serologic and molecular analysis of the HLA system in Israeli Jewish patients with oral erosive lichen planus.

Oral erosive lichen planus is a distinct subtype of the common dermatosis lichen planus. Although the etiology of lichen planus is still obscure, it is known that cell-mediated immune mechanisms and genetic factors underlie its pathogenesis. Previous studies have found an association between lichen planus and HLA-DR3 or DR9 in different population groups.