Fifty three Japanese patients with sarcoidosis were typed for HLA-DRB1,-DQB1,-DPB1 alleles. Specific region of DRB1, DQB1, DPB1 genes were amplified enzymatically by PCR method and transcription mediated amplification. Amplified DNA and RNA were detected with chemiluminescence labeled sequence specific oligonucleotide probes. We found significantly increased frequency of DRB1^* 0803 (P＜0.00005) and DQB1^* 0601(P＜0.002) in the patient group. Then in the male patient group, we found significantly increased frequency of DRB1^* 1502, ^* 0803, DQB1^* 0601 or^* 0402, and in the female patient group, we found that she frequencies of DRB1^* 0405,^* 0803, DQB1^* 0601 and^* 0401 were increased significantly.

During the course of routine HLA typing for potential apheresis donors, potential bone marrow recipients and their families, we identified three subtypes of HLA-Cw 8 using five kinds of anti-HLA Cw 8 sera. The result of DNA typing showed that these three subtypes were defined as HLA-Cw^* 0801, Cw^* 0802 and Cw^* 0803. The gene frequences of Cw^* 0801 , Cw^* 0802 and Cw^* 0803 were 6.3%, 0% and 2.3% respectively in Japanese population. In Cw^* 0801 and Cw^* 0803,following linkage disequilibria were observed: Cw^* 00801 was associated with A 26. 1 , B^* 1518 (B71), B (B61)and B^* 4801, while Cw^* was associated with B^* 4801. Characteristic haplotypes of A24-Cw^* 0801-B^* 4006,A26.1-Cw^* 0801-B^* 4006 and A24-^* Cw^* 0803-B^* 4801were also observed in this study.