Identification of novel human leukocyte antigen G alleles in an East African population by high-resolution sequence-based typing.

We report two novel human leukocyte antigen G (HLA-G) alleles identified in an East African population during sequence-based typing of HLA-G. The novel alleles were confirmed by sequencing multiple polymerase chain reaction products and molecular cloning and subsequent sequencing of multiple clones. The sequence of HLA-G*0110 (EU290672) is identical to G*01010101/01010102/01010103/01010104/01010105 at exons 2, 3, and 4 except for a single nucleotide difference at codon 31 (ACG → ATG), resulting in a coding change from threonine to methionine. The sequence of HLA-G*0111 (EU290673) is identical to G*010404 at exons 2, 3, and 4 except for a single nucleotide difference at codon 31 (ACG → ATG), resulting in a coding change from threonine to methionine. These new alleles are detected in several other individuals in our study population and the functional relevance of these new alleles must be studied.