Bouayad A. Human leukocyte antigen variants and clinical features of primary biliary cholangitis: Cumulative contributions. World J Clin Cases 2026; 14(5): 115814 [DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v14.i5.115814]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Abdellatif Bouayad, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Oujda, Mohammed First University, 4867 Oujda l’Université, Oujda 60049, Morocco. a.bouayad@ump.ac.ma
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Immunology
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Letter to the Editor
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This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Feb 16, 2026 (publication date) through Feb 10, 2026
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Publication Name
World Journal of Clinical Cases
ISSN
2307-8960
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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Bouayad A. Human leukocyte antigen variants and clinical features of primary biliary cholangitis: Cumulative contributions. World J Clin Cases 2026; 14(5): 115814 [DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v14.i5.115814]
World J Clin Cases. Feb 16, 2026; 14(5): 115814 Published online Feb 16, 2026. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v14.i5.115814
Human leukocyte antigen variants and clinical features of primary biliary cholangitis: Cumulative contributions
Abdellatif Bouayad
Abdellatif Bouayad, Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Oujda, Mohammed First University, Oujda 60049, Morocco
Author contributions: Bouayad A wrote and designed the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Abdellatif Bouayad, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy of Oujda, Mohammed First University, 4867 Oujda l’Université, Oujda 60049, Morocco. a.bouayad@ump.ac.ma
Received: October 27, 2025 Revised: January 15, 2026 Accepted: February 4, 2026 Published online: February 16, 2026 Processing time: 107 Days and 13.9 Hours
Abstract
This letter to the editor highlights the importance of considering potential cumulative contributions among human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles in shaping the clinical manifestations of primary biliary cholangitis. Complementing the overview by Curto et al, which focused on non-HLA candidate genes, this paper emphasizes that specific haplotypes of HLA-DRB1, HLA-DQA1, and HLA-DQB1, as well as HLA-G*01:01:01:08/UTR-1, may modulate disease heterogeneity, predisposition to primary biliary cholangitis and autoimmune hepatitis overlap syndrome, disease progression, and poorer therapeutic response. A comprehensive understanding of these HLA polymorphisms and their interactive effects is essential for improving risk stratification and guiding personalized management of this complex autoimmune liver disease.
Core Tip: Specific classical human leukocyte antigen (HLA) alleles and haplotypes may influence predisposition to primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), prognosis, and the development of PBC-autoimmune hepatitis overlap syndrome. Potential cumulative contributions between the non-classical HLA-G*01:01:01:08-UTR-1 haplotype and its soluble HLA-G molecules may predict a poor therapeutic response to ursodeoxycholic acid. Thus, soluble HLA-G molecules may serve as novel, non-invasive biomarkers to guide personalized PBC treatment.
