Genotypic diversity of the Killer Cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptors (KIR) and their HLA class I Ligands in a Saudi population

Abstract Killer Cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptors (KIR) have been used as good markers for the study of genetic predisposition in many diseases and in human genetic population dynamics. In this context, we have investigated the genetic diversity of KIR genes and their main HLA class I ligands in Saudi population and compared the data with other studies of neighboring populations. One hundred and fourteen randomly selected healthy Saudi subjects were genotyped for the presence or absence of 16 KIR genes and their HLA-C1, -C2, -Bw4Thr80 and Bw4Ile80 groups, using a PCR-SSP technique. The result...