Sequence variation in Japanese HLA-DRw8 specificity.

There are four DRw8 haplotypes with different DQ alleles in Japanese: DRw8-DQw6 (w1), DRw8-DQw4, DRw8-DQw8(w3), and DRw8-DQw7 (w3). We previously reported the nucleotide sequence of DRB1 gene of DRw8-DQw6(w1) and it was named DRB108032. The nucleotide sequences of the other DRw8 DRB1 alleles and their correspondence to internationally recognized DRw8 subspecificities were still unclear. We have cloned these DRB1 genes and determined the nucleotide sequences. The comparison of the sequences with the published sequences revealed that the differences were occurred at two amino acid positions, and these four haplotypes are classified in two groups: (a) DRw8-DQw6(w1) and DRw8-DQw7(w3), and (b) DRw8-DQw4 and DRw8-DQw8(w3). The DRB1 molecules of DRw8-DQw6(w1) and DRw8-DQw7(w3) have Ser57 and Ile67, and those of DRw8-DQw4 and DRw8-DQw8(w3) have Asp57 and Phe67. The former has the same sequence as that of DRB108032, and the latter is same as that of DRB1*0802. The classification corresponds to the serologic subtyping, which divides DRw8 into DR8.1 and DR8.2, reported in the 10th Japan HLA Workshop.