HLA-E polymorphisms in an Afro-descendant Southern Brazilian population.

HLA-E is a non-classical I (Ib) gene which has limited polymorphism and low levels of tissue expression. Currently, 11 alleles are described in the literature with only three protein products. In the present study we investigated HLA-E gene variations at exons 2 and 3 and calculated allele, genotype and haplotype frequencies in a sample of 152 individuals who reported themselves as being Afro-descendants and who are voluntary bone marrow donors living in the state of Paraná, Brazil. The most frequent allele in the sample analyzed was the E(∗)01:01 (59.21%). The presence of the E(∗)01:04 allele was not detected suggesting that it has a very low worldwide frequency or that this allele may be an artifact of sequencing. We reported the most frequent alleles found as well as genotypes and haplotypes and compared our results with the few other studies found in the literature. This study is the first to investigate Afro-descendants from the South of Brazil.