C2_4_4 microheterogeneity and HLA Class I

The microheterogeneity of the tetranucleotide repeat locus C2_4_4 situated in the HLA class I region (6p21.3) was investigated by sequencing 50 alleles in an Austrian population sample of 240 unrelated Caucasoid individuals. Several different sequences were found in alleles of the same length. Analysis of the associations between the sequenced C2_4_4 alleles and HLA class I showed a strong linkage disequilibrium between the C2_4_4*9 sequence variants and two different HLA class I haplotypes, as well as between the most common *17 sequence and one HLA-ABC haplotype. No clear cut association could be observed in C2_4_4*16 and *18. The results of this study demonstrate that the exclusive use of microsatellite polymorphisms for the definition of HLA haplotypes is generally not possible.     

Polymorphism of TAPASIN and its linkage disequilibria with HLA class II genes in the Japanese population

Abstract: Tapasin plays an important role in HLA class I assembly. The gene has been mapped on the human MHC region. We identified two alleles of TAPASIN in the Japanese population and analyzed the association of the alleles with HLA-DPB1, -DQB1 and -DRB1 alleles. The allele frequencies of TAPASIN*01 and *02 were estimated to be 0.37 and 0.63, respectively, in the Japanese population. TAPASIN showed strong linkage disequilibrium with the HLA-DPB1 locus. Several frequent four-locus haplotypes were identified, including DRB1*0901-DQB1*0303-DPB1*0501-TAPASIN*02, DRB1*0901-DQB1*0303-DPB1*0201-TAPASIN*02 and DRB1*1302-DQB1*0604-DPB1*0401-TAPASIN*02.     

HLA class I polymorphism in the Cuban population

The extreme polymorphism found at some of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system loci makes it an invaluable tool for population genetic analyses. In the present study the genetic polymorphism of the Cuban population was estimated at HLA-A, -B, and -Cw loci by DNA typing. HLA class I allele and haplotype diversity were determined in 390 unrelated Cuban individuals (188 whites and 202 mulattos) from all over the country. In whites 19, 27, and 14 allele families for the HLA-A, -B, and -Cw loci, respectively, were identified. In mulattos, for the same loci, 20, 18, and 14 allele families were identified. Allele and haplotypes frequencies, comparisons with other worldwide populations based on genetic distances, neighbor-joining dendrograms, and correspondence analyses were estimated. Most of the identified allele groups and haplotypes are also common to sub-Saharan African and Europeans populations. However, Amerindian and Asian alleles were also detected at lower frequencies. The results clearly reveal the high diversity and interethnic admixture of the studied population. Our results provide useful information for the further studies of the Cuban population evolution and disease association in terms of HLA class I genes.     

HLA class I polymorphism in a Moroccan population from Casablanca

We have studied the distribution of HLA‐A and ‐B alleles and haplotypes by sequence‐specific primer amplification in a sample of 100 unrelated healthy individuals belonging to both Berber and Arabic‐speaking groups from the region of Casablanca in Morocco. Among the 17 HLA‐A and 23 HLA‐B alleles observed, the most frequent were HLA‐A2 (21%), ‐A1 (11%), ‐A3 (10%), ‐B44 (11.4%), ‐B50 (9.9%), ‐B5(8.5%) and ‐B35 (6.5%). Six two‐locus haplotypes were observed with a frequency above 5%: A2‐B50 (9.6%), A23‐B44 (7.4%), A2‐B15 (6.4%), A68‐B39 (5.3%), A1‐B51 (5.3%) and A68‐B44 (4.3%). Our data confirm that, on the basis of genetic distances, the majority of present‐day North Africans from Morocco are closely related to Berbers and also to Iberians. They cluster apart from Middle‐Eastern Mediterranean populations, and show greater genetic distances to Eastern and other Mediterranean populations. This study will serve as a reference for further anthropological studies, as well as studies of HLA and disease associations.     

HLA class I polymorphism in a Moroccan population from Casablanca.

We have studied the distribution of HLA-A and -B alleles and haplotypes by sequence-specific primer amplification in a sample of 100 unrelated healthy individuals belonging to both Berber and Arabic-speaking groups from the region of Casablanca in Morocco. Among the 17 HLA-A and 23 HLA-B alleles observed, the most frequent were HLA-A2 (21%), -A1 (11%), -A3 (10%), -B44 (11.4%), -B50 (9.9%), -B5(8.5%) and -B35 (6.5%). Six two-locus haplotypes were observed with a frequency above 5%: A2-B50 (9.6%), A23-B44 (7.4%), A2-B15 (6.4%), A68-B39 (5.3%), A1-B51 (5.3%) and A68-B44 (4.3%). Our data confirm that, on the basis of genetic distances, the majority of present-day North Africans from Morocco are closely related to Berbers and also to Iberians. They cluster apart from Middle-Eastern Mediterranean populations, and show greater genetic distances to Eastern and other Mediterranean populations. This study will serve as a reference for further anthropological studies, as well as studies of HLA and disease associations.     

Alpha-2 domain polymorphism and HLA class I peptide loading

Diversity within the class I HLA antigen binding groove is positioned to moderate the presentation of peptide ligands. Polymorphism is widely dispersed about the peptide binding groove, and unravelling the functional significance of a given polymorphism requires comparative analysis of peptides presented by class I subtypes differing at the position(s) in question. Previous studies have demonstrated that not all class I polymorphisms act equally, and to determine the impact of substitutions specifically located in the alpha2 domain, peptides purified from B*1501, B*1512, B*1510, and B*1518 were examined by pooled Edman sequencing and comparative mass spectrometric analysis. Molecule B*1512 differs from B*1501 at residues 166 (Glu to Asp) and 167 (Trp to Gly) of the alpha2 domain. The pooled motif and ion mass ligand maps for B*1512 tightly matched those of B*1501, demonstrating that the 166/167 polymorphism between B*1501 and B*1512 has little impact upon ligand presentation. Although the 166/167 polymorphism minimally affects peptide binding preferences, this polymorphism makes B*1512 and B*1501 quite distinct by serology. We then compared the B70 molecules B*1510 and B*1518. The two are almost indistinguishable by serology and differ only by an alpha2 polymorphism at 116. Comparative peptide mapping shows that a Tyr to Ser polymorphism at 116 drastically changes the ligands bound by B*1510 and B*1518; no overlaps could be found. Polymorphisms in alpha2 therefore vary from subtle to extreme in the manner by which they moderate ligand presentation, and serologic crossreactivity did not reflect the ligands presented by these B15 subtypes.     

Linkage disequilibria between HLA-B, C1_4_1, MICA and MICB

The polymorphisms of MICA exon 5 (5 alleles), MICB intron 1 (13 alleles), C1_4_1 (6 alleles), HLA-B (29 alleles) and HLA-A (15 alleles) were investigated in a healthy German population. Sequencing was performed for the MICB alleles CA14, CA15, CA17, CA23 and CA26 isolated from different cell lines. Variation to the published sequence was observed for CA14, CA15 and for CA17. At the C1_4_1 locus a new allele (CAAA)9 was identified and confirmed by sequencing. Linkage disequilibria were investigated for two-point- and three-point-haplotypes. Although the average relative delta value correlates loosely with the physical distance from HLA-B to MICB: HLA-B-C1_4_1>HLA-B-MICA>HLA-B-MICB, there are several exceptions to this rule. Analyzing three-point-haplotypes for the segment MICB to HLA-A a wide variation of linkage disequilibria for some of the classical HLA-A, B haplotypes has been observed. While the HLA-A1, B8 haplotype displays strong relative delta values over the entire distance from HLA-A to MICB, other haplotypes have linkage disequilibria only in a limited region.     

HLA class II and class I polymorphism in Venezuelan patients with myasthenia gravis

Oligotyping performed among ethnically mixed Venezuelan patients with myasthenia gravis (MG) and controls has revealed positive associations of HLA class I A*31, B*08, B*39, B*40, C*15, C*17, and class II DRB1*09 and negative associations of DQB1*06 and DQA1*02 with the disease. Sequential removal of human leukocyte antigen B (HLA-B) alleles when relative predispositional effects (RPEs) were looked for demonstrated that B*08 is the allele group with the largest contribution in the overall MG patients followed by B*39 and B*40. Several specificities (A*31, B*08, C*17, DRB1*03, DQA1*05, and DQB1*02) indicated increased frequencies among patients with thymic hyperplasia versus patients without hyperplasia or controls. Tests to identify alleles with the strongest association to MG in our patients detected DRB1*13 and B*38 as possible predisposing secondarily associated alleles in patients with hyperplasia. The associations observed disappear after Bonferoni correction of probability values and have been described in patients of Caucasian and/or Oriental ethnic background. Thus, our results reflect the heterogeneity of our population and of the patients tested and suggest a limited influence of several HLA genes in this heterogeneous disease or that these might be only markers of nearby non-HLA genes responsible for the susceptibility or resistance effect.     

HLA class I and class II polymorphism in a population from south-eastern Tunisia (Gabes Area)

The gene frequencies of HLA class I and class II alleles were investigated in 95 healthy Tunisian individuals from Gabes. Our aim was to compare the genetic relationship between Gabesians and Mediterraneans and sub-Sahara Africans using genetic distances, Neighbour-Joining dendrograms, correspondence and haplotypes analysis, thereby providing additional information about evolutionary history of modern-day Tunisians. Subjects were unrelated and of both genders, and HLA class I and class II genes were genotyped using the polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific primer (PCR-SSO) technique. Our data show that south-eastern Tunisians (Gabes area) are related to present-day North Africans (Algerians, Moroccans, Tunisians) and Iberians (Spaniards, Basques), and along with other North Africans, appear to be genetically related to Berbers, an indication that the Arab invasion (7th-11th centuries) of North Africa had minimal contribution on the HLA makeup of North Africans. On the other hand, Iberians including Spaniards and Basques show relatedness to (native Tunisian) Berbers, suggesting that the gene flow of 7th century AD invaders was also low in Iberians. In conclusion, the successive invasions of North Africa in general, and Tunisia in particular, did not modify markedly the genetic makeup of present-day Tunisians. With the exception of Greeks who have a sub-Saharan genetic profile, all Mediterranean populations depict a typical mediterranean substratum.     

Clearance and persistence of hepatitis C virus in a Tunisian population: association with HLA class I and class II

Human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) of class I and class II are reported to influence the outcome of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The aim of this study was to assess the role of HLA class I and class II in influencing spontaneous viral clearance or persistence in HCV-infected patients. HLA class I (A and B) typing was performed by lymphocytotoxicity test and HLA class II (DRB1) was determined by low-resolution PCR-SSP (polymerase chain reaction amplification with sequence-specific primers) for 99 subjects (48 men and 51 women). Of these, 75 had chronic infection and 24 had viral clearance. No significant differences were observed between individuals with spontaneous viral clearance or chronic HCV infection for age, sex, source of infection, and risk factors. HLAB-w35 and HLA-DRB1*08 occurred more frequently in those with viral clearance (21.7 and 16.6%, respectively) compared with those with chronic infection (5.5 and 2.6%; p < 0.04 and p < 0.01, respectively). DRB1*15 occurred more often in those with chronic infection (29.3%) compared with those with viral clearance (16.66%), but the difference did not reach statistical significance. These results support the hypothesis that specific HLA class I and class II alleles might influence the clearance or persistence of HCV infection. Both Bw35 and DRB1*08 are associated with clearance of circulating HCV whereas DRB1*15 appears to predispose to progression of liver disease in Tunisian patients. Taken together, our results and those previously reported suggest that HLA associations with the outcome of hepatitis C viremia vary in relation to the ethnicity of the population studied. Further prospective studies of larger cohorts of HCV-infected subjects are needed to evaluate, in different populations, the role of specific HLA class I and class II alleles in the outcome of HCV infection.     

HLA class I chain-related MICA and MICB genes polymorphism in healthy individuals from the Bulgarian population

Although human leukocyte antigen (HLA) gene polymorphism has been investigated in many populations around the world, the data on MHC class I chain-related (MIC) genes are still limited. The present study is aimed to analyze the allelic polymorphism of MICA and MICB genes and haplotype associations with HLA-B locus in 132 healthy, unrelated individuals from the Bulgarian population by next generation sequencing (NGS). A total of 36 MICA and 16 MICB alleles were observed with the highest frequency detected for MICA*008:01 (17.1%) and MICB*005:02 (32.4%). Further, two and three-loci haplotype frequencies and pairwise linkage disequilibrium were estimated. Highly significant global linkage disequilibrium was found between either HLA-B and MICA and MICB genes. This is the first study on MICA and MICB allelic polymorphism, linkage disequilibrium, and haplotype polymorphism in the Bulgarian population. These results will allow for better characterization of the genetic heterogeneity of the Bulgarian population and could contribute to further analyses on MICA and MICB clinical significance.     

HLA class I polymorphism, as characterised by PCR-SSOP, in a Brazilian exogamic population

HLA-A, -B and -C genes were analysed in the population living in the metropolitan region of Curitiba, the main city of Parana State, southern Brazil, to provide data for studies and applications in HLA-related fields, and to contribute to the understanding of human microevolution. Heterozygosity is high (95-99%) for all three loci. Frequencies for most alleles and haplotypes of sub-Saharan African and of European ancestry presented a clear gradient between the White, Mulatto and Black subpopulations. Among Whites, the four most common haplotypes were A*01-Cw*07-B*0801, A*02-Cw*07-B*07, A*11-Cw*0401-B*35 and A*03-Cw*0401-B*35. Their frequencies ranged from 5.6% to 3.0%. In the Mulatto sub-population, six haplotypes presented very similar frequencies, close to 2.0-2.4%: A*02-Cw*03-B*15, A*02-Cw*0401-B*35, A*02-Cw*07-B*07, A*03-Cw*0401-B*35, A*30-Cw*17-B*4201, A*68-Cw*03-B*15. Haplotype A*30-Cw*17-B*4201 was found to be very common (6.6%) in the Black sub-population. Admixture estimate revealed the relative contributions of Europeans, sub-Saharan Africans and Amerindians to this populations which were, respectively, 94%, 3% and 3% for the White sub-population, 57%, 39% and 4% for the Mulatto sub-population, and 25%, 74% and 1% for the Black sub-population.     

HLA class I and class II allele distribution in the Peruvian population

The distribution of HLA-A, -B, -C, -DRB1 and -DQB1 alleles in the Peruvian population was studied and compared with those of other populations in order to provide further information about their anthropological origin. Our data are consistent with the Mestizo character of this population. In terms of genetic distance Peruvians are closest to Bolivians, which is in agreement with the geographical location and the cultural and anthropological background of the two human groups. Several HLA-B alleles originally described in genetically isolated Amerindian tribes are also present in the sample studied here. This fact and the reported finding of these alleles in several Amerindian groups suggests that they were present in the first wave of humans that populated South America (Paleoindians) before they split to give rise to the different South American tribes.     

High-resolution HLA class I typing in the CEPH families: analysis of linkage disequilibrium among HLA loci

The HLA region on the short arm of chromosome 6 (6p21.3) contains the most polymorphic coding sequences in the human genome. High-resolution DNA-based HLA typing of population samples of the polymorphic class I loci, HLA-A, -B, and -C has only recently become feasible. Here, we report molecular HLA typing on family-based samples of European origin (the CEPH repository), which demonstrated very high polymorphism, with 20 A alleles, 38 B alleles and 19 C alleles in the sample of 248 independent haplotypes. In general, allele frequency distributions are consistently more even (lower observed homozygosity statistic) than expected from a past of selective neutrality suggesting a history of balancing selection. This was also true for the class II loci, DRB1, DQA1 and DQB1 in these samples, but not for the DPA1 and DPB1 loci, whose allelic frequency distributions were more skewed (higher observed homozygosity statistic) than expected under a neutral model. Although linkage disequilibrium is a prominent feature across the HLA region, only 19% of the eight locus haplotypes were sampled more than once. The relative age of some of the B alleles could be inferred from the pattern of B-C haplotypic associations. We suggest that the observed patterns of linkage disequilibrium reflect the operation of selection on nearly all HLA alleles.     

广东汉族人群HLA Ⅰ、Ⅱ基因多态性及单倍型分析

目的 检测广东汉族人群HLA-A、B、Cw、DRB1基因频率，分析该人群HLAⅠ、Ⅱ等位基因多态性及其单倍型特点。方法 骨髓移植供者160人，抗凝血提取DNA，半量全自动聚合酶链反应-单链构象多态分型检测HLA-A、B、Cw、DRB1基因型。结果 在低分辨水平分别检出HLA-A、B、Cw及DRB1等位基因12、23、11、13个。统计分析呈现显著连锁不平衡的HLA-A-B单倍型9个，B-Cw单倍型20个，A-Cw单倍型7个，HLA-A-DRB1单倍型8个，B-DRB1单倍型9个，Cw-DRB1单倍型10个。结论 广东汉族群体HLA-基因具有较为丰富的多态性，其双座位连锁不平衡单倍型具有地区性遗传特征。     

The association and linkage of the HLA-A2 class I allele with autism

Previous research has revealed associations between autism and immune genes located in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA). To better understand which HLA genetic loci may be associated with autism, we compared the class I HLA-A and -B alleles in autistic probands with case control subjects from Caucasian families. The frequency of HLA-A2 alleles was significantly increased in autistic subjects compared with normal allelic frequencies from the National Marrow Donors Program (NMDP) (p = 0.0043 after allelic correction). The transmission disequilibrium test for the A2 allele revealed an increased frequency of inheritance for autistic children (p = 0.033). There were no significant associations of autism with HLA-B alleles; however, the A2-B44 and A2-B51 haplotypes were two times more frequent in autistic subjects. The association and linkage of the class I HLA-A2 allele with autism suggests its involvement in the etiology of autism. Possible roles are discussed for the HLA-A2 association in the presentation of microbial antigen within the central nervous system and/or in the establishment of synaptic and neuronal circuits in the developing brain.     

Triplet repeat polymorphism within the NOTCH4 gene located near the junction of the HLA class II and class III regions in narcolepsy

A polymorphic (CTG)_n, microsatellite repeat was found in the signal peptide domain of the NOTCH4 gene located near the junction of the class II and class III regions of the human major histocompatibility complex. This gene belongs to a multigenc family of NOTCH originally identified as a differential factor of neuronal cells. To ascertain whether the NOTCH4 gene is involved in the development of neurogenic disease, narcolepsy, which is known to be tightly associated with HLA-DR15, this microsatellite polymorphism of the (CTG)_n repeat was analyzed in Japanese patients with narcolepsy. One allele, 9 repetitions of CTG (Leu) was significantly increased in the patient group. However, the significant increase of this allele in the patient group could be explained by a strong linkage disequilibrium with the HLA class II alleles, DRB1*1501, DQA1*0102 and DQB1*0602, which were more strongly associated with the disease. These results suggest that the (CTG)_n repeat polymorphism in NOTCH4 does not primarily determine the susceptibility to narcolepsy.     

Associations of Moyamoya patients with HLA class I and class II alleles in the Korean population

Moyamoya disease is characterized by progressive cerebrovascular occlusion at the peripheral internal carotid artery and development of abnormal collateral circulation at the cerebral basal region. Although abnormal thrombogenesis, inflammation and autoimmune process might be involved in the etiology, the genetic pathogenesis of Moyamoya disease is still unknown. To evaluate the association of Moyamoya disease with HLA alleles in the Korean population, we investigated HLA class I and class II alleles in 28 Moyamoya patients and 198 unrelated healthy controls. The frequency of HLA-B35 allele was significantly increased in the patients compared to the controls (32.1% vs. 10.1%, RR=4.2, p<0.008). Further analysis of HLA-B35 on onset age and sex showed that this allele was significantly increased compared to the controls in both late-onset and female group. Especially, HLA-B35 was the most significantly increased in female of late-onset group compared to the controls. These results suggest that HLA-B35 may be an useful genetic marker for Moyamoya disease, and particularly in females of late onset group in the Korean population.     

The tetranucleotide repeat polymorphism D21S1245 demonstrates hypermutability in germline and somatic cells

Six novel polymorphic short sequence repeats were identifiedand localized on the linkage map of human chromosome 21 by genotypingthe CEPH reference pedigrees. One of these markers, the tetrameric(AAAG)_n repeat D21S1245, was found to be hypermutable. In theDNAs from lymphoblastoid cell lines of members of the 40 CEPHfamilies a total of 18 new alleles were detected. These newalleles, sometimes appearing in mosaic forms, arose equallyin paternal and maternal DNAs, and could be equally larger orsmaller than the alleles from which they were derived. The largeralleles of D21S1245 are more prone to be converted to new alleles.None of the new alleles with mosaicism were present in the correspondinggenomic blood DNA, and therefore originated during or afterthe establishment of the lymphoblastoid cell lines; half ofthe new alleles without mosaicism were also found in genomicblood DNA of the appropriate CEPH individuals. The range ofgermline mutation rate observed In the 716 meioses examinedwas 0.56–1.4x10^–2 the range of somatic mutationsobserved in the 405 cell lines examined was 1.96–3.46x10^–2This is one of the most hypermutabie microsatellite repeat polymorphismin the human genome detected to date. D21S1245, is highly polymorphic(heterozygosity of 0.96) and maps between D21S231 and D21S198.