Cw*1701 defines a divergent african HLA-C allelic lineage.
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.
Wells
R S
RS
Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
Seielstad
M T
MT
Bunce
M
M
Tyan
D B
DB
Bekele
E
E
Parham
P
P
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
D015236:HLA-C Antigens