Identification of a novel HLA-C allele, Cw*0406, in a Singapore Malay

A novel allele, C*0406, has been identified and is characterised by a singl e nucleotide substitution at position 196 of exon 3 when compared with its closest related allele, C*0403. The latter is found in 4/69 Chinese and 7/8 0 Malays while Cw*0406 was found in only one Malay individual within the st udy populations. The data suggest that Cw*0406 map have arisen as a relativ ely recent genetic event either by gene conversion or as a simple point mut ation variant uf Cw*0403.