Three new HLA-C alleles (HLA-C*14:02:13, HLA-C*15:72 and HLA-C*15:74) in Saudi bone marrow donors

Area of Science:

• Immunogenetics
• Histocompatibility
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• The Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) system plays a critical role in immune response and transplantation compatibility.
• Accurate HLA typing is essential for successful allogeneic bone marrow transplantation.
• The Saudi Bone Marrow Donor Registry (SBMDR) requires continuous updates of HLA allele frequencies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and characterize novel Human Leukocyte Antigen C (HLA-C) alleles within the Saudi population.
• To contribute to the expansion of the global HLA allele database.
• To enhance the accuracy of HLA matching for potential bone marrow donors in the SBMDR.

Main Methods:

• Sequence-Based Typing (SBT) was employed for high-resolution HLA allele identification.
• Analysis focused on donors registered with the Saudi Bone Marrow Donor Registry (SBMDR).
• Novel alleles were characterized by comparing nucleotide sequences to known reference alleles.

Main Results:

• Three new HLA-C alleles were identified: HLA-C*14:02:13, HLA-C*15:72, and HLA-C*15:74.
• HLA-C*14:02:13 differs from HLA-C*14:02:01 by a silent nucleotide substitution.
• HLA-C*15:72 and HLA-C*15:74 result from nonsynonymous nucleotide substitutions leading to amino acid changes.

Conclusions:

• The identification of these novel HLA-C alleles expands the known HLA genetic diversity.
• These findings are significant for improving HLA matching accuracy in bone marrow transplantation.
• The updated allele information benefits the Saudi Bone Marrow Donor Registry and global HLA databases.