02088nas a2200397   4500000000100000008004100001260001600042653001200058653001800070653001600088653001100104653002300115653002200138653001500160653004000175653001100215653001000226653001200236653002700248653000900275653002700284653002600311100001100337700001600348700001200364700001400376700001100390700001700401245010700418856010800525300001100633490000700644050001400651520101100665022001401676       2006                            d  c2006 Oct 0110aAlleles10aBase Sequence10aDNA Primers10aFemale10aGenes, MHC Class I10aGenetic Variation10aHaplotypes10aHistocompatibility Antigens Class I10aHumans10aIndia10aleprosy10aLinkage Disequilibrium10aMale10aMicrosatellite Repeats10aPolymorphism, Genetic1 aTosh K1 aRavikumar M1 aBell JT1 aMeisner S1 aHill A1 aPitchappan R00aVariation in MICA and MICB genes and enhanced susceptibility to paucibacillary leprosy in South India.  uhttp://hmg.oxfordjournals.org/content/15/19/2880.full.pdf+html?sid=de3dbd9d-0ff5-4cf6-98cd-b9bfdc8cfdca  a2880-70 v15  aTOSH 20063 a<p>In a study of mainly paucibacillary leprosy-affected sib-pair families from South India, in addition to the expected associations with the HLA-DRB1 locus, we have identified significant association with a functional variant of the MICA gene as well as a microsatellite in the flanking region of the MICB gene. The associations with MICA and MICB cannot be accounted for by linkage disequilibrium with the HLA class II locus indicating a role in genetic susceptibility to leprosy that is independent of HLA-DRB1. Previous studies have shown that MICA and MICB are expressed on the surface of cells in response to infection, where they are recognized by the NKG2D receptor on gammadelta T cells, CD8+ alphabeta T cells and natural killer cells, all of which contribute to defense against mycobacteria. The MICA*5A5.1 allele, associated here with leprosy susceptibility, encodes a protein lacking a cytoplasmic tail providing a possible mechanism for defective immune surveillance against mycobacteria.</p>  a0964-6906