A novel HLA-A6816 allele possibly generated by a point mutation in a Chilean from Punta Arenas (Magellan Strait)

• Published in: Immunogenetics (New York) 2000-04, Vol.51 (4-5), p.257-260
• Main Authors: Gómez-Casado, E., Martínez-Laso, J., Gonzalez-Hevilla, M., Longas, J., Rubio, I., Silvera-Redondo, C., Garcia-Gomez, A., Ferre, S., Arnaiz-Villena, A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Chile; histocompatibility locus HLA
• ISSN: 0093-7711; 1432-1211
• DOI: 10.1007/s002510050618

Seventeen different HLA-A*68 subtypes (A*68011-A*6815) have been officially admitted by the WHO Nomenclature Committee for Factors of the HLA System (Bodmer et al. 1999; Marsh 1998a, 1998b). HLA-A*68 is one of the most frequent antigens in Amerindian populations (Weckmann et al. 1997); A*6801 is widely distributed among Amerindians including those of Punta Arenas (southern Chile, Strait of Magellan, our own unpublished data) and also in Caucasoids; A*6802 has been found in Sub-Saharan Africans, African Americans and (at a lower frequency) in Jews and Italians (Clayton and Lonjou 1997); A*6803 alleles are present in Mazatecan Indians (Vargas-Alarcon et al. 1997); A*6806 was found in an Hispanic individual (Hurley et al. 1998); A*6808 appeared in one Negroid individual (Cox et al. 1999); finally A*6811N has recently been defined in a French family (Laforet et al. 1999). In the present study, a new HLA-A*68 subtype (HLA-A*6816) found in one individual from Punta Arenas has been characterized.