The Association of Human Leukocyte Antigens Complex with Type 1 Diabetes in the Omani Population.

Objectives: Identification of the high risk alleles, genotypes and haplotypes of the human leukocyte antigens (HLA) in different populations is beneficial for understanding their roles in type 1 diabetes (T1D) pathogenesis and intervention practices. This study aimed to identify T1D-associated HLA gene alleles in the Omani population.

Methods: The present case-control study included 73 diabetic seropositive children (mean age 9.08 ± 3.27 years) attending the paediatric clinic at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital in Muscat, Oman, and 110 healthy controls. , , , and genes were genotyped using a sequence-specific primer polymerase chain reaction (SSP-PCR).

Results: Two HLA class I alleles (, ) and three class II alleles (, and ) were associated with T1D susceptibility, while one class I () and three class II (, and ) alleles were associated with T1D protection. and alleles showed the strongest risk association among all alleles. Six residues (E, S, S, Y, V and K) were significantly associated with T1D susceptibility. Heterozygous genotypes, / and / were significantly associated with T1D susceptibility ( <0.0001, odds ratio [OR] = 63.21 and = 0.02, OR = 3.63, respectively). Furthermore, a significant combined action of - haplotype in T1D risk ( = 0.000176, OR = 15) and - haplotype in protection ( = 0.0312, OR = 0.48) was detected.

Conclusion: Known HLA class II gene alleles are associated with T1D in Omani children.