title: Microgeographic variation of HLA-A, -B, and -DR haplotype frequencies in Tuscany, Italy: implications for recruitment of bone marrow donors.
abstract: HLA-A/B haplotype frequencies were estimated in a sample of 2355 bone marrow donors born in a subregion of Tuscany (Italy), and the HLA-A, -B, -DR haplotype frequencies were estimated in a subset of 809 individuals. This area was divided in 10 subsamples (two-locus haplotypes), or six subsamples (three-locus haplotypes), all with sample size >50, based on administrative boundaries. A considerable level of heterogeneity of haplotype frequency was present among subsamples; this heterogeneity was associated to a large variation (up to 4-fold) of the number of new donors that must be typed in order to reach 50% chance of finding an HLA-A, -B phenotype of intermediate frequency. Knowledge of the genetic structure of the population at a microgeographic level may be useful in directing the search of specific bone marrow donors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Transplants and New Technologies in Medicine, Section of Pathology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Marroni
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Curcio
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fornaciari
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lapi
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Mariotti
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Scatena
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Presciuttini
mesh_terms: D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000276:immunology; D015234:HLA-A Antigens / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D015235:HLA-B Antigens / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D015810:Linkage Disequilibrium
chemical_list: D015234:HLA-A Antigens; D015235:HLA-B Antigens; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens