Genetic polymorphisms at HLA-A, -B, and -DRB1 loci in Han population of Xi'an City in China

Aim: To determine genetic polymorphisms at human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A, -B, and -DRB1 loci in Han population of Xi'an city in China. Methods: Polymerase chain reaction-based reverse line-strip sequence specific oligonucleotide hybridization was used to determine the alleles of HLA-A, -B, and -DRB1 in 516 unrelated, healthy individuals of Han population in Xi'an. Allele frequencies at HLA-A, -B, and -DRB1 loci were estimated by direct counting method. Haplotype frequencies were calculated from genotype data by expectation maximization. Results: A total of 14 alleles of HLA-A, 33 alleles of HLA-B, and 13 alleles of HLA-DRB1 were found. The most common alleles were HLA-A*02 (28.39%), A*11 (19.19%), and A*24 (16.28%); HLA-B*13 (11.05%), B*15 (B62: 9.30%), and B*51 (8.53%); and HLA-DRB1*15 (17.15%), DRB1*09 (13.18%), and DRB1*04 (10.85%). The most common haplotypes of HLA-A-B-DRB1 haplotype were HLA-A*30- B*13-DRB1*07 (3.93%), HLA-A*02-B*46-DRB1*09 (3.20%), and HLA-A*33-B*58-DRB1*17 (1.63%). Conclusion: The finding that the HLA loci are highly polymorphic in Han population of Xi'an City may be useful for population genetics, HLA-related studies, human identification, and paternity tests in forensic sciences.