SINGLE-STEP ALLELE-SPECIFIC POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION HLA-DQ GENOTYPING USING ARMS PRIMERS

A set of allele-specific oligonucleotide primer pairs has been developed that allows the determination of HLA-DQ genotypes in a rapid, single-step PCR. The primer set unambiguously distinguishes the 18 most common DQ haplotypes in heterozygous as well as homozygous individuals. Because of linkage disequilibrium between the DQ and DR gene loci, accurate determination of the DQ haplotypes enables the prediction of the DR serotype. HLA-DQ genotyping can be performed using DNA from any tissue, such as skin and hair roots, as well as from blood cells. It is therefore anticipated that HLA-DQ genotyping by PCR will have applications in forensic science, in the identification of individuals, in research studies of the role of DQ and DR haplotypes in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, and in the rapid matching of organ donor and transplant recipient pairs.