SUMMARYFifty‐two British and 29 Greek idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN) patients were analysed for DRB, DQA1, DQB1 and DPB1 gene polymorphism using second exon amplification and sequence‐specific oligonucleotides (SSO). In addition 100 British and 92 Greek controls were analysed.A highly significant increased frequency of the DRB 1*0301 allele was found in IMN patients from Britain (80%), when compared to controls (27%, OR 10.6,P= 0.000004). A lower frequency of DRB 1 *0301 was observed in Greek IMN patients (33%), but this was just significant before correction, when compared to Greek controls (15%, OR 3,P= 0.02). The DRB3 allele most often associated with DRB 1 *0301 was DRB3*0101 (OR 4.2,P= 0.00025) in British patients and DRB3*0201/2 (OR 11,P=0.006) in Greek patients. In Greek IMN patients a decrease in DR16 was found (OR 0.08,P=0.004), and the overall incidence of DR2 was significantly lowered when both sets of IMN patients were combined (OR 0.21, χ217.6,P= 0.00013).The incidence of DQA1 *0501 was raised in both Greek (96%vs.66%, OR 9.7, χ26.9,P= 0.009) and British IMN (85%vs.45%, OR 7.4, χ220,P= 0.00007) patients. This gives some support to a proposal for a major role for this allele in IMN. However, DQB1 *0201 was also raised in both Greek (50%vs.21%, OR 3.6, χ28.1,P= 0.005) and British (90%vs.44%, OR 10, χ221.7,P=0.00004) IMN patients. The DQA1*0102 allele was significantly lowered in Greek IMN patients (15%vs.32%, OR 0.05, 12.2,P=0.0008), probably reflecting a lowering in the DR16 haplotype. No significant difference was observed in the frequencies of DPB alleles in patients and controls.It is concluded that DRB 1*0301 has the strongest association with British Caucasoid IMN. The Greek Caucasoid IMN association with DRB 1*0301 is weaker, and a role for other alleles has not been el
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