A comprehensive approach for typing HLA-B locus alleles by group-specific DNA amplification and oligonucleotide hybridization

HLA class I and class II allele distribution in the Peruvian population

“…The distribution of HLA alleles in the Peruvian sample studied is consistent with its anthropological origin, that is, they present an HLA frequency distribution with a typical Amerindian profile (9,20,24,32). However, they show more variability in every allelic Fig.…”

“…The HLA distribution described then also showed an Amerindian profile, the blank for HLA-A being less than 1% and the blank for HLA-B being 11%, a fact that indicates that the former allelic series was better defined than the second one. Although the scarcity of alleles found in the above mentioned Quechua sample is coincident with the small number of alleles described in Amerindians (1,24,32), the presence of A1 and A11 (G.F. of 0.01 in both cases) points to a certain degree of admixture with Caucasians (5,9).…”

“…The HLA-A allele distribution, well defined in Quechua, as previously mentioned, is very similar to the corresponding locus in the Peruvian sample under study. However, the cumulated frequency of HLA-A non-typically Amerindian specificities (9,20) (3) and Caucasian populations (36). This fact and the wide distribution they present in South America, where many of them can be found in tribes living in geographically distant areas (30, and this report), point to the existence of these alleles in the population groups that migrated out of Asia.…”

“…According to these authors, new alleles tend to supplant older ones rather than supplement them. This fact led some authors to enunciate the hypothesis of a more rapid evolution of HLA-B in isolated populations, specifi-cally in South America (7)(8)(9). As more Amerindian populations are studied with the appropriate DNA-based technologies the geographical range of new alleles will emerge, permitting this hypothesis to be tested.…”