HLA-B*4413 identified in a UK Caucasoid potential bone marrow donor

We describe a novel allele belonging to the B*44 allele group. HLA-B*4413 was identified in a Caucasoid potential bone marrow donor from the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust register. Initial HLA typing of this donor revealed unusual serological reactivity. Further investigation was carried out by reference strand conformation analysis (RSCA) and sequence-based typing (SBT) using DNA extracted from an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-transformed B-cell line made from this donor (AMI005AN). In this individual, two B*44 alleles were revealed upon initial investigation: B*4409 and a previously unseen allele which has been named B*4413. B*4413 is identical to B*44031 except for a unique nucleotide substitution resulting in an amino acid difference at residue 61 in the alpha 1 helix.