IDENTIFICATION BY POLYMERASE CHAIN-REACTION AND HYBRIDIZATION WITH SEQUENCE-SPECIFIC OLIGOPROBES AND COMPLETE EXON-2 CDNA SEQUENCING OF A NEW DRB1 (DRB1-ASTERISK-1131) ALLELE

HLA-DRB1 is the most polymorphic gene described so far, and their enco ded molecules disclose a major role in allogeneic responses. We descri be in this report a new DRB1 allele in a Spanish Caucasian bone marrow donor, initially defined by PCR-SSO as a DRB111-like allele. Complet e exon 2 cDNA-sequencing reveled that this allele was identical to DRB 11119 except for a single substitution at position 178, which generat es an amino acid change (Tyr-His) at position 60. This residue is shar ed by several DRB114 subtypes and DRB1*0808. The new allele was offic ially named DRB11131.