Association Between HLA Alleles and IgA Nephropathy in a Taiwanese Population

Genetic associations with IgA nephropathy (IgAN), particularly in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region, vary across ethnic groups. This study investigated the association of HLA alleles with the diagnosis, pathological findings, and prognosis of biopsy-proven IgAN in a Taiwanese population. A case-control study was conducted using data from the Taiwan Precision Medicine Initiative, including 157 patients with biopsy-proven IgAN and 1570 age- and sex-matched controls. Genetic data were obtained from single-nucleotide polymorphism arrays, and HLA imputation was performed. Most single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with IgAN were located within the HLA region on chromosome 6. Frequencies of several alleles (including C*08:01, DQA1*03:01, and DQB1*04:01) were significantly higher in the IgAN group. Conversely, frequencies of alleles such as B*58:01 and DQB1*02:01 were significantly lower. This study identified novel risk and protective HLA alleles for IgAN in a Taiwanese population.