HLA class I polymorphism in the Cuban population.

The extreme polymorphism found at some of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system loci makes it an invaluable tool for population genetic analyses. In the present study the genetic polymorphism of the Cuban population was estimated at HLA-A, -B, and -Cw loci by DNA typing. HLA class I allele and haplotype diversity were determined in 390 unrelated Cuban individuals (188 whites and 202 mulattos) from all over the country. In whites 19, 27, and 14 allele families for the HLA-A, -B, and -Cw loci, respectively, were identified. In mulattos, for the same loci, 20, 18, and 14 allele families were identified. Allele and haplotypes frequencies, comparisons with other worldwide populations based on genetic distances, neighbor-joining dendrograms, and correspondence analyses were estimated. Most of the identified allele groups and haplotypes are also common to sub-Saharan African and Europeans populations. However, Amerindian and Asian alleles were also detected at lower frequencies. The results clearly reveal the high diversity and interethnic admixture of the studied population. Our results provide useful information for the further studies of the Cuban population evolution and disease association in terms of HLA class I genes.