Recognition of HLA-A*11:01-B*51:01-C*14:02-DRB1*11:01-DQB1*03:13 and HLA-A*02-B*40-C*03:77-DRB1*14 haplotypes restricted to Taiwanese

Kuo-Liang Yang^{a, b}, Shen-Kuo Lee^a, Py-Yu Lin^a

^a Laboratory of Immunogenetics, Tzu Chi Cord Blood Bank and Buddhist Tzu Chi Marrow Donor Registry, Buddhist Tzu Chi Stem Cells Centre, Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital, Hualien, Taiwan
^b Department of Laboratory Medicine, Tzu Chi University, Hualien, Taiwan

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Abstract
Objective

In the Tzu Chi Taiwanese Bone Marrow Donor Registry individuals carrying the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-C*03:77 allele and -DQB1*03:13 allele were registered. Here we report the confirmed DNA sequences of C*03:77 and DQB1*03:13 and the probable HLA haplotypes deduced in association with C*03:77 (i.e., HLA-A*02-B*40-C*03:77) and DQB1*03:13 (i.e., HLA-A*11:01-B*51:01-C*14:02-DRB1*11:01-DQB1*03:13) in Taiwanese.

Materials and Methods

A sequence-based typing (SBT) method was used to confirm the low incidence alleles observed. Polymerase chain reaction was carried out to amplify exons 2 and 3 of the HLA-C locus with group-specific primer sets. For HLA-DQB1 allelic typing, six group-specific primer sets were used in the SBT procedure. Amplicons were sequenced using the Big Dye Terminator Cycle Sequencing Ready Reaction Kit (versions 3.1; Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA, USA) in both directions according to the manufacturer's protocols.

Results

We confirmed the DNA sequence of C*03:77, which is identical to the sequence of C*03:04:01:01 in exons 2 and 3 except for the nucleotide at position 527 (A→T). The nucleotide substitution caused an amino acid replacement at residue (codon) 152 (E→V). Similarly, our SBT confirmed that the DNA sequence of DQB1*03:13 is analogous to the sequence of DQB1*03:01:01:01 in exons 2 and 3, except for the nucleotide at residue 296 (T→A). The nucleotide variation caused one amino acid exchange at residue (codon) 67 (V→D).

Conclusions

The Taiwanese ethnicity of our donors identified in this study completes the ethnicity background for C*03:77 and DQB1*03:13 alleles listed on the IMGT/HLA Database and provides a strategy for marrow donor registry search coordinators to screen for unrelated HLA matched hematopoietic stem cell donors for blood disease patients bearing C*03:77 or DQB1*03:13.

Keywords
Haplotypes; Hematopoietic stem cell; Human leukocyte antigen (HLA); Transplantation