[A monoclonal antibody recognizes a novel HLA-DQ specificity, DQWa]

A monoclonal antibody (MoAb) with a novel DQ specificity has been produced by immunizing a C3H/He mouse with a human B lymphoblastoid cell line EBV-Wa (HLA-Dw 15/DR 4/DQ blank homozygous). The MoAb, termed HU-46, reacts with panel cells associated with HLA-Dw 15/DR 4 and certain panel cells with HLA-Dw 8/DRw 8 specificity, which are typed as DQ blank. Immunochemical analyses indicated that the MoAb recognizes a new class II antigen, which is coded by the HLA-DQ sublocus. In the ninth International Histocompatibility Workshop, three HLA-DQ specificities, DQw 1, DQw 2 and DQw 3, were officially designated. But the DQ specificity detected by HU-46 has not yet been reported. We provisionally named this new DQ specificity DQWa and presumed that it is fourth DQ specificity. Furthermore, in a genetic analysis, assuming the Hardy-Weinberg condition hold, it was confirmed that DQWa is an allele of the three DQ specificities.