ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the HLA-A, -B allele polymorphism in the Luoba ethnic population.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>HLA-A, -B DNA types in 92 healthy individuals of Luoba nationality in the Linzhi area, Tibet Autonomous Region, were investigated by polymerase chain reaction-sequence specific oligo-nucleotide (PCR-SSO).</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Ten alleles at HLA-A locus, and 19 alleles at HLA-B locus in Luoba ethnic group were detected. Of the 10 HLA-A alleles detected, the three most common alleles were HLA-A*11(allele frequency: 36.40%), -A*02 (25.50%), -A*24 (23.90%), and they covered 85.80% of the total HLA-A alleles detected from the Luoba ethnic group. Of the 19 HLA-B alleles detected, the three most common alleles were HLA-B*40 (27.20%), -B*15 (11.40%) and -B*38(10.90%), and they covered 49.50% of the total -B alleles detected in the Luoba ethnic group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The distribution of HLA-A, -B allele polymorphism in the Luoba nationality is distinctive, but some of the gene distribution in the Luoba group is nearer to that in the Tibetan group. These are consistent with the results of ethnological, historical and sociological researches.</p>