Diversity of Killer Cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptor Genes in Uveitis Associated with Autoimmune Diseases: Ankylosing Spondylitis and Behcet Disease

Purpose: To determine whether the frequencies of specific killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) genotypes are associated with the incidence of uveitis in ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and Behcet disease (BD). Methods: The authors analyzed the frequency of 16 KIR genes in Koreans with either AS (110 patients, all HLA-B27-positive) or BD (86 patients), using polymerase chain reaction sequence-specific oligonucleotide probing. Results: The frequency of the inhibitory receptor KIR3DL1 was lower in AS patients affected by uveitis than that in the general population (p<0.05). The frequency of the KIR3DL1(-)/2DS3(-) was significantly higher in AS patients with uveitis (odds ratio 9.306, p = 0.007). Conclusions: The study suggests that KIR3DL1 might associate with the resistance to AS-associated uveitis by influencing natural killer cell activity.