Discovery of HLA‐B*480102 in Taiwanese

Abstract

Summary Human leucocyte antigen (HLA)‐B48, an antigen within 7C CREG (cross‐reacting group) ( Steiner et al ., 2001 ) that cross‐reacts frequently with HLA‐B40 (i.e. HLA‐B60 and ‐B61) group of antibodies serologically, can be found in Alaskan Natives ( Leffell et al ., 2002 ), Amerindians ( Martinez‐Naves et al ., 1997 ), African Americans, Caucasians, and Oriental ethnicities ( Mori et al ., 1997 ; Schipper et al ., 1997 ; Cao et al ., 2001 ; Middleton et al ., 2004 ; Hong et al ., 2005 ; Itoh et al ., 2005 ; Lee et al ., 2005 ; Ogata et al ., 2007 ). Sequencing investigations demonstrated that the common allele encoding the B48 antigen is B*4801 ( Belich et al ., 1992 ). To date, there are at least 16 WHO recognized B*48 alleles according to the most recent report from the WHO nomenclature committee ( Marsh et al ., 2005 ). Here we report a newly discovered allele B*480102, a variant of B*4801, detected in a 55‐year‐old Taiwanese patient of Minan origin (southern China).