Common, Intermediate and Well-Documented HLA Alleles in the Brazilian Population: An Analysis of the Brazilian Bone...

This study investigates the HLA allele diversity in Brazil, a reflection of the country's unique history of population admixture. The international comparison of findings emphasises the importance of incorporating underrepresented populations into global HLA databases. We present a comprehensive analysis of HLA alleles within the Brazilian population, utilising high-resolution sequencing data from 298,000 unrelated haematopoietic stem cell volunteer donors registered with the Brazilian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (REDOME). Our research encompasses donors from all regions of Brazil, identifying HLA alleles that are catalogued as common, intermediate or well-documented (CIWD Version 3.0). We evaluated the alleles of HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-C, HLA-DRB1, HLA-DQA1, HLA-DQB1, HLA-DPA1 and HLA-DPB1. At a two-field resolution, we identified 1969 alleles: 418 were classified as common, 358 as intermediate and 1193 as non-CIWD in Brazil. Notably, we report HLA alleles that, while not classified as common or intermediate in the CIWD 3.0 catalogue, are prevalent within the Brazilian population. A detailed list of alleles from the registry, presented at a two-field resolution and supplemented with grouped ARD levels, including three- or four-field resolution when available, serves as an essential reference for HLA typing frequencies specific to the Brazilian population.