Genetic polymorphism of human platelet antigens-1 to-17w in the multi-ethnic Chinese Guangxi population

Background and Objectives: Human platelet antigens (HPAs) are polymorphic structures associated with several platelet-specific alloimmune disorders. The frequencies of HPAs vary between different populations and ethnic groups. No data are available about the HPAs' frequencies among the Chinese Guangxi population. The purpose of this study was to investigate the allele frequencies of HPA-1 to -17w in healthy volunteer blood donors of the Guangxi population. Methods: The polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific primer (PCR-SSP) methods were used to determine the genotypes of HPA-1 to -17w systems in the four major ethnic groups (Han, Zhuang, Yao, and Miao) in the Guangxi population. A total of 400 random donor samples, 100 from each of the four ethnic groups, were genotyped. A DNA sequencing method was used to validate the results. Results: The three genotypes (aa, ab, and bb) were found in HPA-1, HPA-2, HPA-3, HPA-5, HPA-6w, and HPA-15 systems, and HPA-3 and HPA-15 systems exhibited the highest polymorphisms in our population. The frequency of aa, ab, and b/b genotypes was 0.40, 0.38, and 0.22 in the HPA-3 system and 0.77, 0.16, and 0.08 in the HPA-15 system, respectively. The allele frequencies of HPA in Han, Zhuang, Yao, and Miao ethnic groups displayed only a slight difference among them. Conclusions: This is the first study to investigate the HPA allele frequencies in the multi-ethnic Guangxi populations. These data may be useful for determining the distribution of HPA polymorphisms in this region and for future clinical research associated with platelet disorders in these groups.