Publications by authors named "Agnes M-L Wong"

In humans, susceptibility to several immunopathologic diseases maps to a conserved block encompassing the polymorphic BAT1, NFKBIL1 (IKBL) and TNF genes in the central MHC. As a pre-requisite for studies of these genes in animal models, we characterized Bat1a and Nfkbil1 in inbred mice differing in their H2 haplotype. We identified two indels and nine single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) upstream of Nfkbil1, one indel, nine SNP upstream of Bat1a and a synonymous SNP in exon 2 of Bat1a.

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The human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) contains genes that affect susceptibility to numerous immunopathological diseases. We propose that genes in the central MHC between TNFA and HLA-B explain associations between the 8.1 haplotype (HLA-A1, B8, DR3) and disease.

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BAT1 (D6S81E, UAP56) lies in the central MHC between TNF and HLA-B, a region containing genes that affect susceptibility to immunopathologic disorders. BAT1 protein may be directly responsible for the genetic association, as antisense studies show it can down-regulate inflammatory cytokines. Here we investigate polymorphisms at positions -22 and -348 relative to the BAT1 transcription start site.

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Background: BAT1 belongs to the DEAD-box family of proteins, and is encoded in the central region of the MHC, a region containing genes affecting immunopathological disorders including Type 1 diabetes. We showed that BAT1 can reduce inflammatory cytokine production, supporting its candidacy as a disease gene. Here we examined the proximal promoter region of BAT1.

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