High-resolution HLA-A, -B and-DRB1 allele and haplotype frequencies in 7823 Han marrow donors of Liaoning province, China

Background: The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system is the most polymorphic gene cluster in humans. High-resolution donor-recipient matching for HLA genes improves patient survival after unrelated hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Materials and Methods: In this study, we analyzed the high-resolution allele and haplotype frequencies at the HLA-A, -B and -DRB1 loci in the Liaoning Han population and analyzed its relationships with other populations. Results: The 3 most frequent alleles at the HLA-A, -B and -DRB1 loci were A*24:02, A*02:01:01G, A*11:01; B*13:02, B*46:01, B*40:01:01G; DRB1*09:01, DRB1*15:01 and DRB1*07:01, respectively. The most frequent 2-locus haplotypes were A*30:01-B*13:02 and B*13:02-DRB1*07:01. A*30:01-B*13:02-DRB1*07:01 was determined to be the predominant 3-locus haplotype. Hot maps and multiple correspondence analyses based on the frequencies of HLA specificities, which allow statistical visualization of dependent and independent relationships among variables, indicate that the Liaoning Han population is closely related to Northern populations of China and shows relative close relationships with Asian populations. Conclusion: These data will provide an outline of the HLA characteristics of healthy individuals in our region and help bone marrow transplantation patients find suitable HLA-matched donors.