This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Almawi, W. Y. Articles by Motala, A. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Almawi, W. Y. Articles by Motala, A. A.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, July 2004, p. 770-774, Vol. 11, No. 4
1071-412X/04/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/CDLI.11.4.770-774.2004
Copyright © 2004, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

HLA Class II Profile and Distribution of HLA-DRB1 and HLA-DQB1 Alleles and Haplotypes among Lebanese and Bahraini Arabs

Al-Jawhara Center for Molecular Medicine, Genetics and Inherited Diseases, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, Bahrain,¹ Hopital St. Louis, Paris, France,² Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut,³ Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology,⁴ Endocrinology, St. Georges University Hospital, Beirut, Lebanon,⁵ Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of Natal, Durban, South Africa⁶

Received 19 January 2004/ Returned for modification 24 March 2004/ Accepted 27 April 2004

The gene frequencies of HLA class II alleles were studied in 95 healthy Lebanese Arab and 72 healthy Bahraini Arab subjects. Our aim was to establish the genetic relationship between Bahraini and Lebanese Arabs in terms of HLA class II gene and haplotype frequencies and to compare these results with frequencies for other countries with populations of Caucasian and non-Caucasian descent. Subjects were unrelated and of both sexes, and HLA-DRB1 and -DQB1 genotyping was done by the PCR sequence-specific primer technique. Comparative analysis of the HLA-DR and -DQ alleles revealed differences in the allelic distribution among Bahraini and Lebanese subjects. Analysis of the 25 HLA-DRB1 alleles that have been investigated showed that the DRB1*040101 and DRB1*110101 alleles were more frequent among Lebanese, whereas DRB1*030101 and DRB1*160101 alleles were more frequent among Bahrainis. Similarly, of the seven HLA-DQB1 alleles analyzed, the presence of DQB1*0201 was more frequent among Bahrainis, whereas DQB1*030101 was more frequent among Lebanese. The DRB1*160101-DQB1*050101 (0.1318 versus 0.0379%) and DRB1*030101-DQB1*0201 (0.1202 versus 0.0321%) haplotypes were more frequent among Bahrainis, while the DRB1*110101-DQB1*030101 (0.3142 versus 0.1198%) and DRB1*040101-DQB1*0302 (0.1416 versus 0.0278%) haplotypes were more frequent in Lebanese subjects. Furthermore, a high prevalence of the DRB1*040101-DRB1*110101-DQB1*0302-DQB1*030101 (12.63 versus 1.35%, P = 0.015) and the homozygous DRB1*110101-DRB1*110101-DQB1*030101-DQB1*030101 (7.37 versus 0.00%, P = 0.046) genotypes was seen among Lebanese, and DRB1*070101-DRB1*160101-DQB1*0201-DQB1*050101 (6.76 versus 0.00%, P = 0.034) was seen more frequently among Bahraini subjects. Our results underline significant differences between these two populations in HLA class II distribution, provide basic information for further studies of major histocompatibility complex heterogeneity among Arabic-speaking countries, and serve as a reference for further anthropological studies.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Al-Jenaidi, F. A., Wakim-Ghorayeb, S. F., Al-Abbasi, A., Arekat, M. R., Irani-Hakime, N., Najm, P., Al-Ola, K., Motala, A. A., Almawi, W. Y. (2005). Contribution of Selective HLA-DRB1/DQB1 Alleles and Haplotypes to the Genetic Susceptibility of Type 1 Diabetes among Lebanese and Bahraini Arabs. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 90: 5104-5109 [Abstract] [Full Text]