HLA-C high resolution typing: analysis of exons 2 and 3 by sequence based typing and detection of polymorphisms in exons 1-5 by sequence specific primers.

HLA-C high resolution sequence based typing developed in this study involves a unique DNA amplification encompassing exon 1 to intron 3 and four fluorescent sequencing reactions covering exon 2 and 3. Both dye primer and dye terminator sequencing techniques were performed and results compared. This approach allowed the identification of all of the 50 HLA-C allelic variants so far described, except for two allele pairs that are distinguished by non-coding nucleotide changes (Cw*12021 = 12022, Cw*15051 = 15052) and three allele pairs (Cw*0701 = 706, Cw*1701 = 1702 and Cw*1801 = 1802) that share the same nucleotide sequence in exon 2 and 3. For complete subtyping of these allelic variants, an amplification based on sequence specific primers (PCR-SSP) was used. No ambiguous heterozygous combinations of alleles were detected in our panel so far. HLA-C typing data obtained by this method were compared with data from serological and low resolution PCR-SSP typing, which had been performed previously on the samples sequenced.