Immunoglobulin lambda light chain genes in rheumatoid arthritis.

Restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) obtained by hybridisation of an immunoglobulin lambda constant region probe to Eco RI digests of genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) obtained from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and control subjects have been compared. Polymorphic bands of 8, 13, 18, and 23 kb (kilobases) were shown. The 8/8 genotype and 8 kb allele were increased and the 8/18 genotype and 18 kb allele decreased in the RA group. This effect was independent of HLA and Gm. These findings suggest that genes linked to the loci for the immunoglobulin lambda constant region may influence susceptibility to RA.