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Killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor gene diversity in the Saudi population

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Abstract

Killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) influence the outcome of haematopoetic stem cell transplantation by modulating the cytotoxic ability of natural killer (NK) cells and a subset of T cells. KIRs are also highly polymorphic and could therefore be good population genetic markers, much like their human leukocyte antigen (HLA) ligands. This study represents the first report on distribution of 16 KIR genes in 162 unrelated healthy Saudi individuals. All the 16 KIR genes were observed in the studied population and the four framework genes (KIR2DL4, 3DL2, 3DL3 and 3DP1) were present in all individuals. Forty- one distinct KIR profiles were expressed in our population, 11 of which had not been previously described in other populations including the Middle Eastern population. AA1, the most common genotypic profile was observed at a frequency of 26.5%. The group A haplotype was more frequent (53%) in the Saudi population compared to the group B haplotype (47%). The pattern of the inhibitory KIR/HLA ligands were also analyzed and 52.3% of the Saudi population was found to express two pairs of the inhibitory KIR/HLA-C. The KIR gene frequencies suggests that the Saudi population shares common general features with the Middle Eastern and other populations, but still has its own unique frequencies of several KIR loci.

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Acknowledgments

This study was approved and funded by the King Abdul-Aziz City for Science and Technology, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as part of a grant number AR-21-04 and by RAC, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre. We are grateful to Dr. Ayodele A. Alaiya and Dr. Abdelilah Aboussekhra for critically reviewing the manuscript. We thank Dr. John Amartey for English rectification. We also thank Ms. Samia Al Hashim for help with statistical calculations and the volunteers who were part of this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics, Stem Cell Therapy Program, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, PO Box 3354, Riyadh, 11211, Saudi Arabia

    Ameera Gaafar, Atia Sheereen, Alia Iqneibi, Abdullah Al Sulaiman & Khalid Al Hussein

  2. Disease Control Strategy Group, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK

    Gamal Mohamed

  3. Research and Development, Finnish Red Cross Blood Service, Helsinki, Finland

    Hannu Turpeinen

Authors
  1. Ameera Gaafar
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  2. Atia Sheereen
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  3. Alia Iqneibi
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  4. Gamal Mohamed
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  5. Abdullah Al Sulaiman
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  6. Hannu Turpeinen
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  7. Khalid Al Hussein
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Correspondence to Khalid Al Hussein.

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Ameera Gaafar, Atia Sheereen are the authors share an equal contribution to the article.

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Gaafar, A., Sheereen, A., Iqneibi, A. et al. Killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor gene diversity in the Saudi population. Mol Biol Rep 38, 2603–2610 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-010-0401-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-010-0401-y

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