ANALYSIS OF HLA-A, HLA-C, HLA-B, HLA-DR AND HLA-DQ LOCI IN AN ITALIANSAMPLE OF POSSIBLE CELTIC ORIGIN

Trino Vercellese, a village of Piedmont (Italy), was selected with the aim at reconstructing the genetic history of a putative Celtic sample known to be settled in Italy with the name of Rigomagus since pre-rom an times. The HLA-A, Cw, B, DR and DQ antigens of 101 unrelated indivi duals have been typed. The antigens characterizing this sample for the ir higher frequency are shown to be A3, A11, A32, B35, B39, Bw52, Cw4, DRw11, DRw13, DQw7. Gene frequencies are estimated by maximum likelih ood and Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was tested with no deviant genetic locus. Two-locus haplotype frequencies were also estimated and those w ith significant associations tabulated. ''Extended'' haplotypes were r econstructed: the three most frequent haplotypes (covering a total fre quency of 11.5%) share the same Cw, B, DR and DQ alleles. Comparisons with other Italian and European samples are indicated to challenge arc heological evidence of a pre-roman genetic stratification of the peopl e living in our old Rigomagus.