MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF A NOVEL, SEROLOGICALLY DETECTABLE, HLA-C ALLELE - CW-ASTERISK-1602

Cw1602, a novel HLA-C allele belonging to the newly assigned CW*16 gr oup, has been cloned and sequenced from a Spanish Caucasoid cell expre ssing a ''Cw6.2'' phenotype. Some of the polymorphic substitutions of the new allele, and linkage disequilibrium to B51, had been predicted on the basis of previously published studies. The primary structure of Cw1602 is in agreement with its serologic reactivity and, in compari son with that of Cw1601, underlines the dimorphism of HLA-C molecules at residues 77 and 80 of the alpha(1)-domain alpha helix.