New PharmGKB VIP Summary: HLA-B

Human leukocyte antigen B (HLA-B) is a cell-surface molecule responsible for the presentation of endogenous peptides to cytotoxic CD8+ T cells. This presentation of peptides allows for the recognition of pathogens, and leads to an immune reaction that destroys the infected cell. Variations within the HLA-B gene affect which peptides the molecule can present, but allelic changes have also been associated with susceptibility and resistance to numerous diseases and adverse reactions to a wide range of pharmaceuticals. Some of these pharmaceutical associations have been well-studied, such as HLA-B*57:01 and abacavir hypersensitivity, HLA-B*58:01 and allopurinol-induced severe cutaneous adverse reactions (SCARs), and HLA-B*15:02 and carbamazepine-induced Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN). However, many other variants within the HLA-B gene also show associations with drug phenotypes.
The VIP summary posted on PharmGKB provides background on HLA-B and its role in the immune system, as well as discussing the roles of HLA-B alleles in diseases and pharmacogenetics, with a particular focus on the *57:01, *58:01 and *15:02 alleles.
For more information, please read the entire HLA-B VIP summary and its associated variant summaries on PharmGKB.
View all VIP gene summaries at PharmGKB.