A study of the human leukocyte antigen （HLA） genetic characteristics in the Zhuang, the largest ethnic population in China, would provide insight into Zhuang history and give a useful tool for disease associations, transplantation, and anthropology. In the present study, we report the comprehensive HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-C, and HLA-DRB1 alleles and haplotypes in the Zhuang population of southern China for the first time. A total of 13 HLA-A, 24 HLA-B, 22 HLA-C, and 18 HLA-DRB1 were identified in 104 Zhuang individuals. The frequencies of HLA-A＊11：01, A^＊02：07, A^＊24：02, A^＊02：03, and A^＊33：03 on A loci, B^＊15：02, B^＊58：01, B^＊46：01, and B^＊13：01 on B loci, C^＊03：04, C^＊08：01, C^＊01：02, C^＊03：02, and C^＊07：02 on C loci, and DRBl＊15：01, DRBl^＊16：02, DRB1^＊14：01, DRBl^＊15：02, and DRBI^＊03：01 on the DRB1 loci were 〉10%. The A^＊33：03-C^＊03：02-B^＊58：01-DRBl^＊03：01 and A^＊02：07-C^＊01：02- B^＊46：01-DRB1^＊14：01 haplotypes were predominant in the Zhuang. The phylogenetic tree, as well as the analysis of haplotypes, suggested that the Zhuang are genetically similar to southern Chinese populations, especially the Zhuang-Dong language-speaking populations, such as the Bouyei, Dai, and Maonan. Even though the Zhuang and southern Chinese populations shared common alleles and haplotypes, the Zhuang has maintained its unique genetic characteristics.
