Activating killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor gene KIR2DS1 is associated with psoriatic arthritis

Killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor genotyping was performed on a cohort of American Caucasian patients with psoriasis to investigate any possible relationship between these chromosome 19 genes and autoimmune-linked disease. This patient cohort also contained a subgroup of patients who had been additionally diagnosed as positive for psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Because of the known association of human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-Cw*06 with psoriasis, the study concentrated on the five KIR genes that have HLA-C as their recognized ligand (i.e., KIR2DL1, -2DL2, -2DL3, -2DS1, and -2DS2). An increase in the frequency of the activating KIR2DS1 gene was detected in the PsA patients, compared with psoriasis patients negative for PsA and an unaffected American Caucasian control group.