Increased frequency of HLA-DRw14b(w6)-associated RFLP in Greenlanders of Eskimo origin

HLA-DR typing by the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) technique of 42 Greenlanders living in northern Jutland, Denmark, revealed a phenotype frequency of 33.3% for HLA-DRw14b(w6), which is significantly different from the frequency of 0.0% observed among 98 Danes of Caucasian origin. When comparing the two populations, the frequency of other HLA-DRB allogenotypes show insignificant variations. Since HLA-DRw14b(w6) is carried by approximately one-third of the Greenlanders tested, this allogenotype may serve as a useful marker in further anthropological and immunogenetic studies.