Impact of recipient HLA-C in liver transplant: a protective effect of HLA-Cw*07 on acute rejection.

The involvement of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) in liver graft acceptance is controversial, but the frequency of acute rejection (AR) remains high in spite of the use of the modern immunosuppressive agents. The present study was aimed at determining whether an association exists between liver recipient HLA-C polymorphism and AR development that could influence graft acceptance. Four hundred and forty-six liver recipients and 473 controls were studied within the framework of a collaborative study carried out by the Spanish Transplant Immunotolerance Group (RED-GIT).