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BACKGROUND-It is thought that HLA antibodies might contribute to the pathogenesis of transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI). Many methods exist to detect HLA antibodies, including ELISA, flow cytometry, and multiplex bead-based assays, as well as the older lymphocytotoxicity assay. The sensitivity of each of these testing platforms varies, and it is not obvious how to compare HLA antibody results obtained on different platforms. This issue has become increasingly important as some blood centers have begun HLA antibody apheresis donor screening as a TRALI risk-reduction measure.

We report the identification of a novel MICA allele, MICA*047. It was initially detected because of an unusual hybridization pattern with sequence-specific oligonucleotides (SSOP) in a normal subject of Caucasian origin. Cloning and sequencing of both strands, and comparison of the sequence with previously defined MICA alleles, revealed that the new allele is similar to MICA*041 except for one nucleotide substitution at position 811 (C-->G). It appears that this new allele could have been generated by an interallelic sequence exchange between MICA*011 and MICA*0411.

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