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Personalized Peptide Arrays for Detection of HLA Alloantibodies in Organ Transplantation

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HLA and mate choice in humans

C Ober¹, L R Weitkamp, N Cox

¹Center for Medical Genetics, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The University of Chicago, IL 60637, USA. carole@genetics.uchicago.edu

American Journal of Human Genetics

|October 27, 1997

Summary

Hutterite couples showed fewer human leukocyte antigen (HLA) haplotype matches than expected, suggesting mate choice avoidance of similar HLA types. This indicates a potential biological influence on mate selection in humans.

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Area of Science:

Immunogenetics
Human Evolutionary Biology
Population Genetics

Background:

Rodent studies indicate major histocompatibility complex (MHC) influences mate selection, favoring dissimilar partners.
The Hutterites, a North American isolate, possess a limited number of five-locus human leukocyte antigen (HLA) haplotypes, making them suitable for studying mate choice.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate whether Hutterite couples avoid mating with individuals sharing the same HLA haplotype.
To determine if HLA haplotype similarity influences mate selection in this unique human population.

Main Methods:

Analyzed HLA haplotypes of 411 Hutterite couples.
Calculated expected HLA haplotype matches using population genotype frequencies and computer simulations incorporating Hutterite genealogy.
Compared observed HLA haplotype matches with expected values.

Main Results:

Significantly fewer HLA haplotype matches were observed between spouses than expected (P = .005 and P = .020–.067).
Among matched couples, the matched haplotype was more frequently inherited from the father (50 cases) than the mother (29 cases, P = .018).

Conclusions:

Hutterite mate choice appears influenced by HLA haplotypes, with a demonstrated avoidance of partners having identical HLA haplotypes.
These findings support the hypothesis of MHC-mediated mate choice influencing human reproductive strategies.