title: HLA-G polymorphism in a Chinese Han population with recurrent spontaneous abortion.
abstract: Reproduction is an important biological phenomenon posing an immunological paradox because the semiallogeneic fetus survives by evading maternal immune recognition. The detailed mechanisms behind this maternal-fetal immunotolerance remain elusive. Human leucocyte antigen (HLA)-G, a non-classical HLA class I antigen, initially identified as a molecule selectively expressed on extravillous cytotrophoblasts and first studied in the context of pregnancy, has long been supposed to play a critical role in fetal-maternal immunotolerance. To investigate the role of HLA-G polymorphism in this process and whether the HLA-G genotype is associated with an increased risk for a subsequent miscarriage, 69 women with three or more recurrent spontaneous abortions (RSA) and 146 fertile control women were genotyped for the HLA-G locus in this study. To our knowledge, this is the first report on HLA-G polymorphism in RSA and in normal fertile women from a Chinese Han population. Nine HLA-G alleles were detected in the fertile control group; however, the allele HLA-G*0103 was absent in the RSA group. No statistical significance was observed in the distribution of HLA-G alleles between the two groups. The frequency of the null allele HLA-G*0105 N in the RSA group and in normal fertile women is 0.7% and 1.4%, respectively. Our data suggested that there was no association of HLA-G polymorphism with RSA.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Immunogenetics, Shanghai Second Medical University, Shanghai Institute of Immunology, Shanghai 200025, China.
authors.forename: W H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: L A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: J Q
authors.initials: JQ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: L D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Yao
mesh_terms: D000026:Abortion, Habitual / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002681:China; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D059951:HLA-G Antigens; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D006680:HLA Antigens; D059951:HLA-G Antigens; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I