Immunogenetics of the rare HLA‐B allele B*4408^†

Abstract

The nucleotide sequence of exons 2 and 3 of B*4408 has been confirmed. This allele has now been found in five, apparently unrelated, north-western European Caucasoid subjects, residing in Wales, on HLA haplotypes bearing: A*0201, Cw*0501 with DRB1*0401, DQA1*03, DQB1*0301 in four instances and DRB1*0701, DQA1*0201, DQB1*0202 in one instance. The unique serological reactivity of 'HLA-B44BO' was established using up to nine B*4408 subjects and was easily identified using a variety of B44 and B62 antisera. The phenotype and gene frequencies of B*4408, in a sample of 40 473 subjects residing in Wales, were 0.01235% and 0.00006, respectively.

A new HLA‐B*15 variant – B*9507

“…We inspected the amino acid sequences of HLA‐B allele products assigned a specificity, considering the B*9507 sequence and its serological reactivity. The B*9507 product possesses the ‘B15, B57’ epitope (41A 45M 46A – which includes B62, B63, B46 and B57 (5)). The motif 152E 156W 163L could represent an epitope for ‘some B15, B46’.…”

Provision of Epstein‐Barr virus‐transformed B‐cell lines in a routine tissue typing laboratory: practicalities and applications

“…Novel, rare and unusual HLA phenotypes, e.g. A*0108, B*4031 (Street et al ., 2003b) , B*4408 (Street et al ., 2003a), B*4414, B*5708 (Darke et al ., 2003) , DRB1*0704 and DRB1*1507 (Darke et al ., 2000), were highlighted during our routine clinical testing and from typing of volunteer haematopoietic stem cell donors for the Welsh Bone Marrow Donor Registry (Darke, 2000). Informed, written consent was obtained from donors (or their representatives in the case of cadaveric organ donors) before B‐lymphocytes were transformed into a BCL, for use in routine and research procedures on a strictly non‐commercial basis.…”