Identification of a novel HLA-B27 subtype by restriction analysis of a cytotoxic gamma delta T cell clone.

Seven HLA-B27 alleles are known, which share the same allospecificity, but differ by one to six amino acid substitutions. Herein, we describe a novel HLA-B27 allele, provisionally named B27-ci, which is expressed by an individual from whom a B27-restricted gamma delta T cell clone has been derived. This clone recognizes B cell lines from the proband and all of the other B27-positive members of the family, but does not lyse B cell lines that express other HLA-B27 alleles. The amino acid sequence deduced from three B27-ci cDNA clones was found to differ from the B*2705 sequence by one amino acid substitution (Asp to His) in position 116 of the alpha 2 domain. This position has been shown to lie in the floor of the F pocket, where it plays a key role in determining the nature of the amino acid side chain that will fit into this pocket. Moreover, the fact that the clone described here possesses a TCR-gamma delta indicates that this subset of cells not only can be HLA-restricted, but also can finely discriminate among classical class I molecules.