Frequency and associations of HLA class II TaqI allogenotypes in the Northern Ireland population

HLA-DR allogenotyping was performed on a panel of 1019 Caucasian individuals from the Northern Ireland population, of whom 150 were also HLA-DQ allogenotyped, using a single enzyme (TaqI)/multiple probe system. TaqI/DR beta restriction fragment length polymorphisms correlate well with the serologically defined specificities and in addition detect further subtypes of these associated with DQ or Dw specificities. The most frequent DR beta allogenotypes were DR beta 15, DR beta 4, and DR beta 17 (Dw24). The frequency of the subtypes of DR beta 4 associated with DQ beta 3 (TA10+) was higher than that reported elsewhere for Caucasian populations, whereas the frequency of the subtypes of DR4 beta associated with DQ beta 3(TA10-) was subsequently reduced. The subtypes of DR beta 4 associated with DQ beta 3 (TA10+) were strongly associated with B44. The TaqI/DX alpha gene polymorphisms, as revealed by the DQ alpha cDNA probe, were found to be associated with DR beta allogenotypes.