Group-specific amplification of HLA-DQA1 revealed a number of genomic full-length sequences including the novel HLA alleles DQA1*01:10 and DQA1*01:11.

In this article, we describe a subgroup-specific amplification assay for HLA-DQA1 that encompasses the whole coding region and allows us to sequence full-length HLA-DQA1 genes. We introduce the novel alleles HLA-DQA1*01:10 and HLA-DQA1*01:11. Moreover, we were able to confirm the full-length genomic sequence data of the alleles HLA-DQA1*01:07, HLA-DQA1*03:01:01, HLA-DQA1*03:02, HLA-DQA1*04:01:02, HLA-DQA1*04:02, HLA-DQA1*05:03, HLA-DQA1*05:05:01:02 and HLA-DQA1*06:01:01. A complete genomic overview of all six HLA-DQA1 allele groups is now available from the submission of our data to the IMGT/HLA database. Because our approach facilitates the analysis of all HLA-DQA1 allele sequences, HLA-DQA1 may become the first HLA locus from which all subgroup members will be known in detail in the near future.