The role of Qa-2,the functional homolog of HLA-G,in a Behcet's disease-like mouse model induced by the herpes virus simplex

Background. it has been suggested that the hla-g molecule is a genetic risk factor for behcet's disease (bd). in this study,we evaluated the level of qa-2,a murine nonclassical class i mhc molecule and possible functional homolog of hla-g,to determine if it was associated with various symptoms of bd-like mice. in addition,we investigated sirna (small interfering rna) treatment to determine if it inhibited qa-2 expression,thereby changing the symptoms of mice. methods. rna interference (rnai) and vector transfection were employed to manipulate gene expression in vivo in mice. sirna (small interfering rna) or qa-2 expression vector was applied to inhibit or up-regulate qa-2 expression,respectively. results. the qa-2 levels in granulocytes were lower in bd-like mice than in normal controls. the silencing of qa-2 by intravenous injection of sirna (500 nmol/mouse,4 times at 3-day intervals) specifically reduced the qa-2 levels and worsened the bd-like symptoms. conclusions. silencing qa-2 by injecting sirna into mice resulted in deterioration of symptoms in bd-like mice. © 2010 lee et al; licensee biomed central ltd.