[Directed cloning of the HLA-B27 gene isolated from a patient with ankylosing spondylitis (Bechterew's disease)].

The authors have used the modified method of the direct gene cloning suggested by Nichols et al to isolate HLA-B27 gene from a patient suffering from ankylosing spondylitis. Five restriction enzymes (ClaI, HindIII, SnaBI, PvuI, SalGI) which had no recognition sites within the 6.0 kb EcoRI-BamHI-DNA fragment supposedly containing the HLA-B27 gene have been chosen by blotting-hybridization of the restriction fragments of the patients DNA with HLA-B27-specific probe. The 6.0 +/- 0.5 kb DNA fragments were isolated and cloned after the DNA treatment by 300 micrograms of all of these restriction enzymes. The obtained mini-library containing 280 recombinants has been screened with the use of HLA-B27 specific oligonucleotide probe. The clone PB27-2 has been isolated the restriction map of which is identical to HLA-B27k. The authors are planning to determine the sequence of the isolated gene in order to find a possible structural defect in it.