title: Moroccan study of HLA (-A, -B, -C, -DR, -DQ) polymorphism in 647 unrelated controls: Updating data.
abstract: The scope of this study is to investigate the HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigen) distribution and polymorphism in a large sample of healthy Moroccans in order to extend and update the available data. 647 unrelated Moroccan controls originating from diverse regions of the country were typed using microlymphocytotoxicity for HLA-A and -B, sequence-specific-primer amplification for -C, -DR, and -DQ and Luminex HD for specific -DR. The most frequent allele groups detected were HLA-A2 (19.2%), -B44 (12.4%), -C*07 (24.4%), -DRB1*03 (16.9%), -DRB1*04 (18.4%), -DQB1*02 (28.7%) and -DQB1*03 (27.8%). The most predominant specific alleles found for DRB1 were: *03:01, *04:02, *04:05, *07:01, *11:01, *13:02 and *15:01. Rare allelic variants were detected, for the first time in Moroccan population, at the DRB1*03 (*03:52, *03:54, *03:56), DRB1*07 (*07:07, *07:11, *07:16) and DRB1*11 (*11:70) locus. The most frequent haplotypes were: A2-B44, A30-B18, A2-C*16, A30-C*06, B14-C*08, B58-C*07, B45-C*06, DRB1*03-DQB1*02, DRB1*04-DQB1*03, DRB1*07-DQB1*02 and DRB1*15-DQB1*06. Comparison of genetic distances and haplotypes with other populations shows that the Moroccans are genetically closer to North Africans and Europeans than to sub-Saharan Africans. Our results reflect the high degree of HLA polymorphism in the Moroccan population and provide a useful baseline of healthy Moroccan controls for disease association and anthropological studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology and Transfusion, CHU Ibn Sina Rabat, Morocco. Electronic address: brickchehrazade@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Chehrazade
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Brick
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology and Transfusion, CHU Ibn Sina Rabat, Morocco. Electronic address: atoufoufa@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Ouafa
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Atouf
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology and Transfusion, CHU Ibn Sina Rabat, Morocco. Electronic address: abdellatifbouayad@hotmail.fr.
authors.forename: Abdellatif
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bouayad
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology and Transfusion, CHU Ibn Sina Rabat, Morocco; UPR of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University Mohamed V Souissi, Rabat, Morocco. Electronic address: m.essakalli@um5s.net.ma.
authors.forename: Malika
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Essakalli
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044383:Black People / Q000235:genetics*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005828:Genetics, Population; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009018:Morocco; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D044465:White People / Q000235:genetics*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006680:HLA Antigens
keywords: Anthropology; HLA polymorphism; HLA-C*; Luminex; Moroccan population