The Association of Human Leukocyte Antigens Complex with Type 1 Diabetes in the Omani Population.

OBJECTIVES

Identification of the high risk alleles, genotypes and haplotypes of the human leukocyte antigens (HLA) in different populations is beneficial for understanding their roles in type 1 diabetes (T1D) pathogenesis and intervention practices. This study aimed to identify T1D-associated HLA gene alleles in the Omani population.

METHODS

The present case-control study included 73 diabetic seropositive children (mean age 9.08 ± 3.27 years) attending the paediatric clinic at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital in Muscat, Oman, and 110 healthy controls. , , , and genes were genotyped using a sequence-specific primer polymerase chain reaction (SSP-PCR).

RESULTS

Two HLA class I alleles (, ) and three class II alleles (, and ) were associated with T1D susceptibility, while one class I () and three class II (, and ) alleles were associated with T1D protection. and alleles showed the strongest risk association among all alleles. Six residues (E, S, S, Y, V and K) were significantly associated with T1D susceptibility. Heterozygous genotypes, / and / were significantly associated with T1D susceptibility ( <0.0001, odds ratio [OR] = 63.21 and = 0.02, OR = 3.63, respectively). Furthermore, a significant combined action of - haplotype in T1D risk ( = 0.000176, OR = 15) and - haplotype in protection ( = 0.0312, OR = 0.48) was detected.

CONCLUSION

Known HLA class II gene alleles are associated with T1D in Omani children.