HLA CLASS-I NONCODING NUCLEOTIDE-SEQUENCES, 1992

We present a compilation of the nucleotide sequences of the non-coding regions of the human HLA class I genes which complements previously published information on exon sequences. The listing includes the 5' and 3' untranslated (UT) regions, and introns 1-7. The HLA class I loci and their alleles from which non-coding sequences were derived are listed in Table 1, together with source references. Where possible, locus and allele designations follow the Nomenclature for factors of the HLA system 1991 (Bodmer et al., 1992). In aligning sequences, nucleotides which are conserved between all class I genes are specified only by the consensus sequence, and are indicated by a hyphen (-). To maintain the alignment between different alleles, an asterisk (*) is inserted where there is a gap in the sequence. An unavailable sequence is indicated by a period (.). Regions of sequence too diverse to be accurately compared are represented by an exclamation mark (!). Sequence motifs previously classified as having an important role in HLA class I regulation or processing, such as enhancer sequences, are identified at the bottom of the sequence comparison. It is not our intention in this paper to present an analysis of the many features revealed by this compilation. However, we hope that the information will provide important reference material for studies of HLA class I mRNA processing (Cianetti et al., 1989), promoter regulation (David-Watine et al., 1990) and in the design of allele, locus or region specific PCR primers (Summers et al., 1991). We hope to update this compilation in due course, and we would welcome sequence information not included in this publication, as well as comments and corrections that help to maintain the accuracy of the information.