title: HLA gene and haplotype frequencies in Dutch blood donors.
abstract: We analyzed the HLA-A, -B, -C, -DR and -DQ phenotypes of 2,440 healthy, unrelated, Dutch Caucasoid blood donors and of 20,814 Dutch blood donors who were registered as volunteer bone marrow or platelet donors. Phenotype and gene frequencies, Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium fit and homozygosity were calculated as well as 2- and 3-locus haplotype frequencies, deltas, relative deltas and significance levels of the deltas. The population appears to be in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Many haplotypes are in strong positive linkage disequilibrium. A phylogenetic tree, based on the HLA-A, -B and -DR gene frequencies of blood donors in different Dutch regions, reflects the limited but manifest heterogeneity of the Dutch population. Additionally we introduce a stepwise test for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and discuss the applicability of this test and of the single test for Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for tissue typing quality control and for selection of split antigens prior to gene and haplotype frequency analyses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunohematology & Blood Bank, Leiden University Hospital, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: R F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Schipper
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Schreuder
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: D'Amaro
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oudshoorn
mesh_terms: D001782:Blood Donors; D003718:Denmark; D005787:Gene Frequency; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D010641:Phenotype
chemical_list: D006680:HLA Antigens