Comparison of HLA class II alleles in Gypsy and Czech populations by DNA typing with oligonucleotide probes.

Czechs (CZ) and Gypsies (GY) have lived in the same country for several centuries but seem to have different migratory origins. We have studied 99 CZ and compared them with 34 GY from an isolated group living in Czechoslovakia. DRB1, DRB3, DRB4, DRB5, DQA1, DQB1 and DPB1 alleles were determined by PCR followed by oligonucleotide hybridization. DRB1*0701 was the most frequent DR allele in CZ (af = 36.3%). In GY, after DRB1*0701, DRB1*1404 was the second most frequent allele (af = 29.4%), while in CZ this allele was not found. Both groups differed also in the distribution of DR4 subtypes. In CZ, DRB1*0401 was the most frequent subtype (50.0%) of DR4. In GY, DRB1*0408 was the predominant type (44.4%). A new DQB1 pattern was found in GY, which we have called DQB1*3.4. This allele was similar to DQB1*0301 in codon 26, but in codon 57 it resembled DQB1*0302. All cells having this new allele were also positive for DRB1*0408. Four-locus associations in CZ showed haplotypes similar to those previously found in other Caucasoid populations. In GY we observed more unusual haplotypes, some previously seen in the Orient, possibly reflecting GY ancestry.