Low frequency of HLA haplotype loss associated with loss of heterozygocity in chromosome region 6p21 in clear renal cell carcinomas.

HLA class I loss or downregulation is a widespread mechanism used by tumor cells to avoid tumor recognition by cytotoxic T lymphocytes favoring tumor immune escape. Multiple molecular mechanisms are responsible for these altered HLA class I tumor phenotypes. It has been described in different epithelial tumors that loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at chromosome region 6p21.3 is a frequent mechanism that leads to HLA haplotype loss, ranging between 40 and 50%, depending on the tumor entity analyzed. Here we have tested the frequency of LOH at 6p21 chromosome region in Renal Cell Carcinomas (RCC) of the clear cell and chromophobe subtype. A low frequency of HLA haplotype loss (6.6%) was found in …