Detection of Established and Novel Alleles of the HLA‐DPB1 Locus by PCR‐SSO

Abstract
The polymorphism at the HLA‐DPB1 locus was investigated in 490 Austrian individuals. Exon 2 sequences of the HLA‐DPB1 genes were amplified by polymerase chain reaction and probed with a panel of sequence‐specific oligonucleotide probes. HLA‐DPB1 genotypes were deduced from the hybridization pattern of the probes. HLA‐DPB1 allele frequencies and Hardy‐Weinberg equilibrium were calculated. Linkage disequilibria between HLA‐DPB1 and HLA‐DQA1 alleles were determined. Four novel hybridization patterns indicating new alleles were found.