The distribution of the HLA-DQ alpha alleles and genotypes in the Finnish population as determined by the use of DNA amplification and allele specific oligonucleotides.

Allele and genotype frequencies for the HLA-DQ alpha locus were determined for use in forensic analyses and paternity tests in Finland. The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the reverse dot blot format were employed to detect 6 different HLA-DQ alpha alleles. All 6 HLA-DQ alpha alleles were detected among the 112 unrelated individuals with allele frequencies ranging from 5.8% to 32.6%. The distribution of the observed genotypes is in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Additionally, this Finnish population sample is statistically similar to 2 other Caucasian sample populations. The power of discrimination of this system in the Finnish population sample is 0.92, suggesting this method may prove suitable for identification purposes.