Objective: To investigate, at the DNA level, the polymorphism of HLA-A, -B, -Cw genes in the Chinese of Han ethnicity in Shenyang.
Methods: Hybridization with polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific oligonucleotide probes (PCR-SSOP) was used to determine HLA-A, -B and -Cw genotypes of 108 unrelated healthy individuals from a Chinese Han population. These Hans were born and living in the Shenyang area.
Results: The numbers of alleles identified were 21 for HLA-A, 43 for HLA-B, and 23 for HLA-Cw. All the allele frequency distributions were consistent with the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium.
Conclusion: Using molecular method, the present authors have analyzed the characteristic of HLA I distribution in a group of indigenous Hans in Shenyang and thus have provided more accurate gene data for use in related researches.