HLA-A, -B, -Cw and DRB1 allele frequencies in a Metalsa population from Nador, Morocco.

This population from the Nador area of Morocco, Latitude 35.1N Longitude 2.5W consisted of 99 Caucasian individuals. The Metalsa group consists of Berbers living in the Rif Mountains who speak the Tarifit language. The Berber population has an ancient origin and represents the autochthonous basis of the Moroccan population. The individuals were drawn from a rural environment where the parents had also lived and alleles were determined using sequenced based typing. The results of HLA DRB1 typing have previously been published in Human Immunology 63, 129-138, 2002. Seventy-three of the individuals were also typed for HLA-A and -B alleles and 62 for HLA-C. The results of HLA class I typing have previously been published in Tissue Antigens 63, 158-172, 2004. It was not possible to distinguish HLA-B*0705 from B*0706 and the frequency is given under B*0705. This study demonstrates a strong relatedness of Metalsa to other Moroccan and North African populations, evidenced the influence of various immigrants during centuries and highlights some unique genetic traits of the Metalsa population compared to other ethnic groups within Morocco.