Selective co-evolution of the D6STNFa microsatellite region with HLA class I and II loci.
We analyzed the HLA-A, -B, -DR and -DQ phenotypes and 12 microsatellite locus genotypes within and close to the major histocompatibility complex in a panel of 98 randomly selected, healthy, unrelated Dutch Caucasoid individuals. Allele frequencies and Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE) were calculated. Also, the linkage disequilibrium patterns between HLA and microsatellite loci were studied. The HLA-A, -B, -DR, -DQ and six microsatellite loci centromeric of the HLA-A showed HWE. In contrast, all microsatellites telomeric of the HLA-A showed deviation from HWE due to excess of homozygosity. Linkage disequilibrium analyses provided strong evidence that among the tested microsatellite loci only the alleles of the D6STNFa locus are in linkage disequilibrium with both HLA-B and -DR. Our results suggest that selection acting on the HLA genes includes the D6STNFa locus and linked genes.
Moghaddam
P H
PH
Department of Immunohematology and Blood Bank, Leiden, The Netherlands.
de Knijff
P
P
Schipper
R F
RF
Moghaddam
P H
PH
Kazemi
M
M
Lambooij
S L
SL
van der Meer
R
R
Naipal
A
A
Pesonen
N
N
van der Slik
A
A
Giphart
M J
MJ
D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D005838:Genotype; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000235:genetics*; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics; D018598:Minisatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics*; D011897:Random Allocation
D006680:HLA Antigens; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II