A newly characterized HLA-DP beta-chain allele. Evidence for DP beta heterogeneity within the DPw4 specificity

cDNA clones corresponding to the DPw4 alpha- and DPw4 beta-chains were isolated from a cDNA library prepared from a DPw4 homozygous cell line, their nucleotide sequences were determined, and the corresponding amino acid sequences were deduced. This DPw4 alpha-chain is identical to the conserved DP alpha-chains from DPw4 and DPw2 haplotypes, although the DPw4 beta-chain (referred to as DPw4b beta) differs from all reported DP beta-chain sequences. The DPw4b beta-chain differs from the reported DPw4 beta sequence (referred to as DPw4a beta) at three amino acid positions in the first domain (36, 55, and 56). The DPw4b beta-chain sequence differs from the DPw2 beta-chain sequence only at position 69 in the first domain, suggesting that the lysine at position 69 in DPw4b beta and the glutamic acid at position 69 in DPw2 beta contribute to the epitopes that define "DPw4-ness" and "DPw2-ness," respectively. In addition, the patterns of sequence identities and differences among the DPw4b beta-, DPw4a beta-, DPw2 beta-, and DPw3 beta-chains suggest that the DPw4b beta sequence arose via a gene conversion event or a point mutation. The I-LR1 mAb, which was previously found to bind only to DPw2, DPw3, and DR5 molecules, binds to an L cell transfectant expressing the DPw4 alpha:DPw4b beta molecule. The DPw4b beta sequence provides the first evidence for structural heterogeneity within the DPw4 specificity.