title: Alloantibody to a Bw4 epitope in a Bw4+B*27: 05 patient.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Alloantibodies to the Bw4 epitope are known to be heterogeneous, but it is widely assumed that anti-Bw4 alloantibodies arise only in individuals who do not express a Bw4 epitope.
  
  
  METHODS
  Bw4 expression was confirmed by DNA sequence analysis. Anti-Bw4 reactivity was confirmed by absorption with transfected cells.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A Bw4 (B*27:05 or B*27:13) patient expressed antibody that bound all Bw4 human leukocyte antigen-A and human leukocyte antigen-B antigens tested, except B*27:05 and B*44:02. Serum absorbed with B*51:01-transfected HYM2.C1R cells left only reactivity to B17 (B57, B58), but not to any other Bw4 antigens.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A Bw4 patient made antibody to a Bw4 epitope. This finding indicates that apparent anti-Bw4 or anti-Bw6 antibody should not be ignored even in patients who express a common Bw4 or Bw6 antigen, respectively.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY. 2 Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY. 3 Address correspondence to: Charles T. Lutz, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Kentucky, 800 Rose Street, MS 117, Lexington, KY 40536-0298.
authors.forename: Charles T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Lutz
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Attar
authors.forename: John R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: May
authors.forename: C Darrell
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Jennings
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000939:Epitopes; D005260:Female; D015235:HLA-B Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D015796:HLA-B27 Antigen / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007518:Isoantibodies / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D000939:Epitopes; D015235:HLA-B Antigens; D015796:HLA-B27 Antigen; C042388:HLA-Bw4 antigen; C038652:HLA-Bw6 antigen; D007518:Isoantibodies