Molecular organization of the DQ subregion (DO-DX-DV-DQ) of the human MHC and its evolutionary implications.

An overlapping set of cosmid clones from the homozygous DR7 B lymphoblastoid cell line MANN linking the HLA-DO through -DQ subregions is described. This region encompasses 280 kb of DNA, including DQ alpha, DQ beta, DX alpha, DX beta, DO beta, and recently indentified L chain sequences termed DV beta. The orientation and grouping of the alpha- and beta-chains is comparable with an analogous murine class II subregion and also with the HLA-DR alpha and -DR beta chains, suggesting that the arrangement of the constituent genes of class II subregions predates the mouse/human divergence.