Springer Nature [academic journals on nature.com], Bone Marrow Transplantation, 7(46), p. 916-922, 2010
DOI: 10.1038/bmt.2010.246
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Uncertainty still exists on the role of polymorphisms outside the HLA-DRB1 binding site or inside the HLADRB3 binding groove in unrelated hematopoietic SCT (HSCT). The ideal model to solve the conundrum consists of the transplants mismatched for HLA-DRB1*14:01/ *14:54 and/or for HLA-DRB3*02:01/*02:02. A task force was set up in Italy to recruit transplanted pairs defined as HLA-DRB1*14:01 before 2006, the year crucial for the proper definition of the HLA-DRB1*14:54 allele in molecular biology. Out of 2723 unrelated pairs, 189 transplanted in Italy from 1995 to 2006 were HLADRB1* 14:01 positive; 103/189 pairs with good historical DNA were retyped for HLA-DRB1*14 and HLA-DRB3 at-high resolution level; 31/103 pairs had HLA-DRB1*14 and/or HLA-DRB3 mismatched; 99/103, having complete clinical data, underwent statistical analysis for OS, TRM, disease-free survival and acute and chronic GvHD. No significant involvement of HLA-DRB1*14:01/*14:54 or HLA-DRB3*02:01/*02:02 mismatches was found, either alone or combined. Our findings suggest that disparities at exon 3 of the HLA-DRB1 gene seem unlikely to influence the outcome after HSCT. The same may be envisaged for HLA-DRB3*02:01 and *02:02 alleles which, although differing in the Ag binding site, seem unable to modulate an appreciable immune response in an HSCT setting.