Susceptibility to rheumatoid arthritis is, in part, conferred by genetic factors. Previous studies have suggested that inheritance of a particular allele of a restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) detected in the T cell receptorβ(TCRβ) gene complex is associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). We have specifically tested this hypothesis in ethnically and geographically matched populations of RA patients and controls. We were unable to confirm previous observations of a TCRβassociation with RA even after stratifying our study and control populations by HLA type.