C7 reference typing and nomenclature recommendations

The results of reference typing for C7 are presented and discussed. It appears that the present literature is using consistent nomenclature except that it was not possible to distinguish between the European C7-3 allele and Japanese C7-6. Oriental populations have both a higher frequency of variants and a greater variety of variants than Caucasian populations. Some samples with complex patterns defied classification, and it is speculated that these may be from persons with duplicated C7 genes. It is recommended that no change to the present system of nomenclature be made before a more detailed molecular understanding of the system is achieved.