{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,15]],"date-time":"2026-04-15T19:25:38Z","timestamp":1776281138907,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,2]],"date-time":"2025-01-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1735776000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Clinics and Practice"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Many factors contribute to the development and the progression of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), including Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) molecules. Some of them are considered as predisposing, like DRB1*15, DRB1*13, DRB1*03, DRB1*04, DQB1*06, DQB1*02, while HLA A2, HLA B44, DRB1*11, and DRB1*12 are rather considered as protective. Data about such associations in the Moroccan population remain unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of HLA class I (A and B) and II (DR and DQ) linked to Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in a healthy population from the South of Morocco. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out over the 2016\u20132023 period on 685 Moroccan healthy individuals, including 355 males and 330 females. Of the total sample tested, 685 underwent HLA class I typing, of which 305 also benefited from HLA class II typing. HLA class I typing was executed using the CDC (complement dependent cytotoxicity) technique (OneLambda\u2122, Los Angeles CA, USA), and HLA class II typing was performed by either PCR-SSP (sequence-specific primer, OneLambda) or PCR-SSO (sequence-specific oligonucleotides) using the Luminex Xmap (Lifecodes, Immucor, Peachtree, Corners, GA, USA) system. Results: From different HLA molecules potentially predisposing to MS, our investigations showed that DRB1*03, DRB1*13, DRB1*15, DRB1*04, and DQB1*02 were observed in 19.2%, 15.8%, 13.31%, 12.7% and 31% respectively, while the frequency of those considered as protective, namely HLA-A2, HLA-B44, and HLA-DRB1*11 was 23.31%, 9.21% and 10.1% respectively. Conclusions: The findings of our study give evidence that among predisposing HLA class II molecules, DR allele groups were more prevalent, mostly DRB1*03, with also a high frequency of DQB1*06, while HLA-A2 marked the supposed protective specificities. These results need to be supported by complementary studies particularly in MS patients.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/clinpract15010010","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,2]],"date-time":"2025-01-02T06:05:10Z","timestamp":1735797910000},"page":"10","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Distribution of Major HLA-A, -B, -DR, and -DQ Loci Potentially Associated with Multiple Sclerosis in a Healthy Population from Southern Morocco"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"15","author":[{"given":"Abir","family":"Fguirouche","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of immunology and HLA, Center of Clinical Research, Mohammed VI University Hospital, Marrakech 43150, Morocco"},{"name":"Biosciences Research Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech 40000, Morocco"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Fatimazahra","family":"Ouahmani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of immunology and HLA, Center of Clinical Research, Mohammed VI University Hospital, Marrakech 43150, Morocco"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ikram","family":"Brahim","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of immunology and HLA, Center of Clinical Research, Mohammed VI University Hospital, Marrakech 43150, Morocco"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Raja","family":"Hazime","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of immunology and HLA, Center of Clinical Research, Mohammed VI University Hospital, Marrakech 43150, Morocco"},{"name":"Biosciences Research Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech 40000, Morocco"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Nissrine","family":"Louhab","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurology, Mohammed VI University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech 40000, Morocco"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Najib","family":"Kissani","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurology, Mohammed VI University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech 40000, Morocco"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mohamed","family":"Chraa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurology, Mohammed VI University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech 40000, Morocco"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Brahim","family":"Admou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of immunology and HLA, Center of Clinical Research, Mohammed VI University Hospital, Marrakech 43150, Morocco"},{"name":"Biosciences Research Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech 40000, Morocco"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,1,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Longo, D.L., Fauci, A.D., Kasper, D.L., Hauser, S.L., Jameson, J.L., and Loscalzo, J. 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