HLA-B35, a class I antigen differentially associated to several diseases in different ethnic groups, comprises at least eight alleles which differ among them by one to six amino acids. In the present work a rapid DNA typing procedure was used to investigate the distribution of the various HLA-B35 alleles in different populations. The approach is based on a group-specific PCR amplification of a set of closely related HLA-B alleles sharing a Thr in position 45 of the alpha-1 domain. The amplified DNA was then hybridized to a panel of sequence-specific oligonucleotide (SSO) probes designed to recognize the polymorphic residues in previously reported HLA-B35 subtypes. This methodology was successfully tested in 100 individuals of four different populations, previously typed by serology as HLA-B35, and in six reference panel cells of the 10th International Histocompatibility Workshop. HLA-B*3501 was the predominant subtype in all populations. B*3502, B*3503 and, to a lesser extent B*3508, were also found. Among Mexican Mestizos, thirteen individuals had patterns of SSO hybridization suggestive of new B35 alleles. The evolutionary considerations on the different B35 alleles and their extended B35,Cw4 haplotypes are discussed.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.