A new HLA-B*27 allele (B*2719) identified in a Lebanese patient affected with ankylosing spondylitis

Eighteen different HLA-B*27 alleles (B*2701-B2718) have so far been recognized by the WHO Nomenclature Committee for Factors of the HLA System. Frequency and disease association of these alleles with spondyloarthropathies differ among ethnic groups. We describe here a novel HLA-B*27 subtype identified in a Lebanese patient suffering from ankylosing spondylitis (AS). This new variant differs from the common HLA-B*2705 DNA sequence at five different nucleotide positions. These nucleotide changes lead to three amino acid differences in the alpha2 domain; Thr to Ile at position 94, Leu to Ile at position 95 and Asn to Arg at position 97. Since this novel allele is encountered in an AS patient, the associated sequence changes are not expected to affect significantly neither the presentation of a putative arthritogenic peptide nor the conformation-dependent recognition by effector cells.