title: High frequency of HLA-A*0207 subtype in Chinese population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  HLA-A2 is the most polymorphic and most common HLA phenotype found in various ethnic populations. Seventeen HLA-A2 subtypes have been reported and characterized by molecular techniques. Differences among these subtypes are limited to a few amino acids. Among them, HLA-A*0201 is the predominant subtype among whites. The results of a recent study, however, suggest that the HLA-A*0207 subtype may be present at a high frequency in the Chinese population.
  
  
  METHODS
  To determine the exact frequency of the HLA-A*0207 subtype in the Chinese population, genomic DNA samples obtained from 54 HLA-A2-positive Chinese in Taiwan were studied by using sequence-specific primers and polymerase chain reaction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HLA-A*0207 was present in 56 percent of the studied subjects. The estimated gene frequency for HLA-A*0207 is 17.8 percent in the Chinese population.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HLA-A*0207 is the most common HLA-A2 subtype among Chinese. The high frequency of the HLA-A*0207 allele in this population offers a unique opportunity to study the ways in which different HLA-A2 subtypes may influence the clinical outcome of allograft transplantation and the disease susceptibility of recipients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA.
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Shieh
authors.forename: D T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: B S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Kuan
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Kao
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D005787:Gene Frequency; D015789:HLA-A2 Antigen / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D013624:Taiwan
chemical_list: D015789:HLA-A2 Antigen