PGG.MHC: toward understanding the diversity of major histocompatibility complexes in human populations

The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system, or the human version of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), is known for its extreme polymorphic nature and high heterogeneity. Taking advantage of whole-genome and whole-exome sequencing data, we developed PGG.MHC to provide a platform to explore the diversity of the MHC in Asia as well as in global populations. PGG.MHC currently archives high-resolution HLA alleles of 53 254 samples representing 190 populations spanning 66 countries. PGG.MHC provides: (i) high-quality allele frequencies for eight classical HLA loci (HLA-A, -B, -C, -DQA1, -DQB1, -DRB1, -DPA1 and -DPB1); (ii) visualization of population prevalence of HLA alleles on global, regional, and country-wide levels; (iii) haplotype structure of 134 populations; (iv) two online analysis tools including ‘HLA imputation’ for inferring HLA alleles from SNP genotyping data and ‘HLA association’ to perform case/control studies for HLA-related phenotypes and (v) East Asian–specific reference panels for HLA imputation. Equipped with high-quality frequency data and user-friendly computer tools, we expect that the PGG.MHC database can advance the understanding and facilitate applications of MHC genomic diversity in both evolutionary and medical studies. The PGG.MHC database is freely accessible via https://pog.fudan.edu.cn/pggmhc or https://www.pggmhc.org/pggmhc.