title: The ancestry of the HLA-DRB1*15 allele predisposes the Mexican mestizo to the development of aplastic anemia.
abstract: Aplastic anemia (AA) is a hematological disorder characterized by pancytopenia in peripheral blood and hypoplasia in the bone marrow; the majority of cases have no known etiology, but it is thought that genetic and environmental factors can be involved in its pathogenesis. From the genetic viewpoint, it has been reported a significant increase frequency of the human leukocyte antigen HLA-DRB1(∗)15 in patients with AA as compared to ethnically matched healthy controls, this is true in different populations worldwide, which would suggests that this allele participates in the immune regulation of the disease.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine gene frequencies of HLA-DRB1 alleles in Mexican mestizo patients with AA.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed and compared the HLA-DRB1 alleles in 36 Mexican mestizo patients (female gender, n=13; male gender, n=23) with AA to those present in 201 umbilical cord blood (UCB) samples as a control group, this was done by means of the polymerase chain reaction-single specific primer (PCR-SSP) technique.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analysis of gene frequencies of HLA-DRB1(∗) alleles exhibits a significant increase of HLA-DRB1(∗)15 allele in the group of patients with AA as compared to those present in the control group (15.27% vs. 2.23%, respectively; p=1×10(-5); odds ratio [OR]=9.3; 95% confidence interval [95% CI]=3.2-27.8).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results showed a positive association of the DRB1(∗)15 allele in Mexican patients with aplastic anemia, which coincides with that reported internationally. In addition, we think that this allele was introduced to the Mexican population structure inherited from European ancestry.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Sinovioanálisis Molecular, Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación, Secretaría de Salud, Calzada México-Xochimilco Núm. 289, Col. Arenal de Guadalupe, Del. Tlalpan, 14389 México, DF, Mexico. javier_astrofan@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fernández-Torres
authors.forename: Denhi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Flores-Jiménez
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arroyo-Pérez
authors.forename: Julio
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Granados
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: López-Reyes
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000483:Alleles; D000741:Anemia, Aplastic / Q000208:ethnology / Q000235:genetics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D059811:HLA-DRB1 Chains