STUDIES OF HLA ALLOANTIGENS OF NAVAJO INDIANS OF NORTH-AMERICA .1. VARIANCE OF ASSOCIATION BETWEEN HLA-DRW (WIA) AND HLA-DW SPECIFICITIES

Abstract

As a part of the 7th International Histocompatibility Workshop, 49 randomly selected Navajo Indians were B[bone marrow derived]-cell (DR) typed. Of these individuals, 33 were also HLA-D (L.D.) typed with the Caucasian derived Copenhagen homozygous testing cell panel. DRW 2, 7 and WIA 8 were clearly defined while DRW 3 and 4 were less well defined and DRW 1, 5 and 6 were not defined in this population by the Workshop antisera. There was highly singificantsignificant correlation between DRW 7/DW 7 and WIA 8/DW 8 but no correlation at all between DRW 2/DW 2, DRW 3/DW 3, and DRW 4/DW 4. These results, in part, were discordant with the finding of the 7th Workshop and suggest that either DRW (WIA) and DW alloantigens are the product of more than 1 gene locus or that these antigens are a product of 1 gene locus but that each antigen molecule has multiple factors.