High-resolution HLA allele and haplotype frequencies of the Saudi Arabian population based on 45,457 individuals and corresponding stem cell donor matching probabilities

Hum Immunol. 2021 Feb;82(2):97-102. doi: 10.1016/j.humimm.2020.12.006. Epub 2020 Dec 30.

Abstract

We estimated HLA allele and haplotype frequencies of the Saudi Arabian population from a sample of 45,457 registered stem cell donors. The most frequent HLA alleles were A*02:01g (18.5%), C*06:02g (16.1%), B*51:01g (14.1%), DRB1*07:01g (16.2%), DQB1*02:01g (30.5%), and DPB1*04:01g (33.6%). The most frequent 5-locus haplotypes were A*02:05g~C*06:02g~B*50:01g~DRB1*07:01g~DQB1*02:01g (1.73%), A*02:01g~C*06:02g~B*50:01g~DRB1*07:01g~DQB1*02:01g (1.66%), and A*26:01g~C*07:02g~B*08:01g~DRB1*03:01g~DQB1*02:01g (1.38%). Furthermore, we used the calculated haplotype frequencies to estimate stem cell donor matching probabilities for Saudi Arabian donor and patient populations under various matching requirements. These results are relevant for strategic donor registry planning in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Keywords: Allele frequency; Donor registry; HLA; Haplotype frequency; Matching probability; Saudi Arabia.

MeSH terms

  • Alleles
  • Arabs / genetics
  • Datasets as Topic
  • Donor Selection / methods*
  • Gene Frequency
  • Genetics, Population / statistics & numerical data
  • HLA-D Antigens / genetics*
  • HLA-D Antigens / immunology
  • Haplotypes
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / methods*
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / genetics*
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / immunology
  • Histocompatibility Testing
  • Humans
  • Registries / statistics & numerical data
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Tissue Donors

Substances

  • HLA-D Antigens
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class I