HLA Gene Polymorphisms in Romanian Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study included 66 patients with CLL, diagnosed between 2020 and 2022, and 100 healthy controls. HLA class I and class II genes (HLA-A/B/C, HLA-DQA1/DQB1/DPA1/DPB1, and HLA-DRB1/3/4/5) were investigated using next-generation sequencing technology.

RESULTS: Several HLA alleles were strongly associated with CLL. The most important finding was that HLA-DRB1 ∗ 04:02:01 ( p =0.001, OR = 1.05) and HLA-DRB3 ∗ 02:01:01 ( p =0.009, OR = 1.03) have a predisposing role in CLL development. Moreover, we identified that HLA-A ∗ 24:02:01 0.01 ( p =0.01, OR = 0.38), HLA-DQA1 ∗ 05:05:01 ( p =0.01, OR = 0.56), HLA-DQB1 ∗ 03:02:01 ( p =0.03, OR = 0.40), and HLA-DRB4 ∗ 01:03:01 ( p =0.03, OR = 0.54 alleles have protective roles. Correlations between HLA expression and gender showed that women had a higher expression of protective HLA alleles when compared to men.

CONCLUSIONS: Our data are the first to indicate that in Romanian patients with CLL, the HLA-A ∗ 24:02:01 and HLA-DQA1 ∗ 05:05:01 alleles have a protective role against CLL development, whereas HLA-DRB1 ∗ 04:02:01 and HLA-DRB3 ∗ 02:01:01alleles are positively associated with CLL.