title: Cw*1701 defines a divergent african HLA-C allelic lineage.
abstract: The complete sequence of a new HLA-C allele, Cw*1701, was determined from a South African Zulu individual. Unique features that distinguish Cw*1701 from other HLA-C alleles include multiple point substitutions and an 18 nucleotide insertion in exon 5, which encodes the transmembrane domain. In a phylogenetic analysis of HLA-C sequences, Cw*1701 forms a third, distinct allelic lineage. A comparison of the transmembrane domain of Cw*1701 with other HLA-B and -C alleles reveals that duplications and deletions have been common in the evolution of these loci. A polymerase chain reaction based typing method was used to determine the distribution of this unusual allele in human populations. In contrast to the other two lineages of HLA-C alleles, the Cw*17 lineage is found at high frequencies only in populations of African descent. In addition, the HLA-B/Cw*17 haplotype diversity is higher in Africa.
authors.affiliation: Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Wells
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Seielstad
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bunce
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Tyan
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bekele
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Parham
mesh_terms: D000349:Africa; D000483:Alleles; D001483:Base Sequence; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005805:Genes, MHC Class I; D015236:HLA-C Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D006239:Haplotypes; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D015236:HLA-C Antigens