Comparison Between HLA-B Allele Groups Among Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Donation Volunteers from Various Iranian Ethnicities

This research included 2064 individuals from various ethnic groups in Iran, all hematopoietic stem cell donors. The primary goal of this research was to establish an HLA database and assess genetic diversity across different ethnicities. DNA was extracted using the magnetic method, and HLA-typing was performed at a low-resolution level using the PCR-SSP method. The results were analyzed manually by independent experts as well as through software. HLA data from four ethnic groups, including Gilak (n=510), Lur (n=465), Kurdish (n=719), and Arab (n=370), were examined for associations between alleles and ethnicity. Allele frequencies were assessed through statistical methods to identify significant relationships, with the significance level set at 0.05. Additionally, standardized residuals were calculated to determine which ethnic groups exhibited allele frequencies that exceeded expected values based on assumptions of independence. Among HLA-B alleles, HLA-B*35 and HLA-B*51 were found to have the highest frequencies, while HLA-B*67, *78, *81, *82, and *83 were absent in this research. Significant differences were observed in 17 alleles across the ethnic groups for HLA-B, with P< 0.05. Standardized residuals exceeding a threshold of 2 indicated statistically significant deviations between observed and expected values at the 0.05 significance level. All analyses were conducted using R software. Determining HLA allele frequencies helps identify similarities and differences among ethnic groups. This information can assist in developing donor services strategies in Iran's diverse regions and establishing stem cell registries. In the future, this data may also contribute to clinical applications in transplantation, vaccine development, and infectious disease research.