[The distribution of HLA genes in Russian patients with germ cell tumors]

The correlation between DRB1, DQA1, and DQB1 genes of HLA class II, and the development of germ cell tumors (GCTs), as well as serological response to HERV-K proteins were investigated. Genomic DNA prepared from 99 GST patients was subjected to HLA typing by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using the set of sequence specific primers (PCR-SSP). This set of primers made it possible to detect 14 specificities of DRB 1 locus, 12 alleles and groups of alleles of DQB 1 locus, and 8 alleles of DQA1 locus. Alongside with the definition of the occurrence of HLA markers in the total group of patients, the frequency of the occurrence of HLA-DR-DQ alleles was calculated in: 1) patients with different morphological forms of GSTs (seminomas and non-seminomas); 2) GCT patients producing or non-producing antibodies to Gag and/or Env HERV-K proteins. The comparison group consisted of 300 Moscow blood donors. The study did not reveal statistically significant differences in the frequency of the occurrence of DRB1, DQA1, and DQB1 alleles between the total group of GCT patients, its subgroup, and the control group. Thus, the data obtained demonstrated the absence of a strict correlation between the distribution of HLA class II alleles and GCT occurrence in the Russian population, as well as the ability of GCT patients to develop an antibody to HERV-K proteins, though more numerous observations are required to confirm this conclusion.