Molecular analysis of HLA class II polymorphisms among different ethnic groups in Israel

The Jewish population in Israel comprises of inhabitants of heterogeneous e thnic backgrounds. Genetic studies classify the Israeli Jewish population i nto two major groups: Ashkenazi from Central and Eastern Europe and Sephard ic or non Ashkenazi, from the Mediterranean and North Africa. The present s tudy was aimed at elucidating the differential influx of HLA class II allel es in Ashkenazi, in various non-Ashkenazi subgroups and in Israeli Moslem A rabs. Using the PCR-SSOP technique, a large number of alleles were detected at each of the loci examined (DRB1, DQA1 and DQB1). In addition, gene frequencies, characteristic DR/DQ linkage disequilibria, population distances and their corresponding dendogram, were used to study the relationship between Israelis as a group, non Jewish Caucasians and Bla cks. These populations could be grouped into three main clusters: the first consists of all the Israeli groups with the exception of the Ethiopian Jew s; the second consists of non Jewish Caucasians,with a clear distinction se en between Israelis and non Jewish Europeans and U.S. Caucasians; the third , composed of Blacks, is distinctly different from the other populations. E thiopian Jews were found to be closer to the Blacks than to any of the Isra eli Jewish groups. We have shown that Jews share common features, a fact that points to a comm on ancestry. A certain degree of admixture with their pre-immigration neigh bors exists despite the cultural and religious constraints against intermar riage. (C) American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics, 1999 . Published by Elsevier Science Inc.