Analysis of HLA-B allele polymorphism in North Indian population: Experience at tertiary care centre

Abstract

BackgroundThe diverse polymorphism among human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and its association with genetic population structure, transplantation immunology and with different disease pathology has been the objective of several studies. Since, HLA-B shows various polymorphic forms in comparison to others among the HLA class I molecules, therefore, studies correlating to the diversity, occurrence and compositions of HLA allele in a particular population may be a useful tool for transplantation and anthropological studies as well. ObjectiveTo determine and analyze the distribution of HLA-B allele polymorphism in North Indian population and understand its uniqueness and diversity in comparison to other parts of the globe. Material and methodsIn this study, sequence-specific oligonucleotide probe (SSOP) typing of the HLA-B locus along with a comprehensive analysis of its allele polymorphism and distribution of all collected 1188 normal individuals were performed. ResultsIn the studied samples, a total of 60 HLA-B allele variants were identified. HLA-B*15 was having a maximum number of allelic variants (13), followed by HLA-B*35 (5), B*40 (5) and B*27 (4). HLA-B*08:01 (10.39%), B*40:06 (9.46%), B*51:01 (9.38%), 35:03 (7.99%) and B*52:01(6.52%) were found to be the most frequent HLA-B allele. A total of 376 HLA-B allelic combinations (genotypes) were identified. The most frequent genotypic combination identified were HLA*B-08:01–40:06 (1.94%) and B*40:06–51:01(1.94%) followed by HLA-B*08:01–51:01(1.77%) and 08:01–08:01 (1.68%). ConclusionPresent population-based study highlights the diversity of HLA-B allele distribution, polymorphism and its uniqueness when compared to other parts of the globe. The HLA-B diversity among North Indian population exhibits its own characteristic and uniqueness from rest of the world. Our study also demonstrates the importance of studying such types of profiling of HLA genes in detail which will not only help in identification but also in selection of most compatible donor for matched unrelated stem cell transplant in addition to solid organ transplant.