DETECTION OF THREE NOVEL ALLELES: DRB1*1130, DRB1*13072 AND DRB1*1331.
          YS Lin, G Coquillard, TF Tang, J Ng, R Hartzman, and CK Hurley C.W. Bill Young/ DOD Marrow Donor Program, Kensington MD. 
          Sequence-specific-oligo-probes typing has been used in our program for more than eight years in routine class II DR typing. Here we report three novel alleles found in potential marrow donors by SSOP in the past year. These alleles were later verified with PCR-sequencing. The generic typing of sample GN00153 was DRB1*04, 1122; DRB3*02 and DRB4*01. Further amplifications were carried out with the group specific primers for DRB1*04, DRB1*11, DRB3*, DRB4*. DRB1*11 specific primer set failed to amplify the expected allele DRB1*1122, however, the SSOP pattern of specific DRB3* PCR products showed a complete pattern of DRB3*0202 plus an additional allele pattern. Direct sequencing identified a hybrid sequence in which codons 9 - 14 were identical to a DRB3*02 allele and remainder of the sequence identical to DRB1*11011. This unique sequence was given the name DRB1*1130. Sample GN00185 was originally defined as DRB1*06 new. Codons 57 and 58 (GAC GCT) of this allele, resembled the sequence found in DRB1*02 alleles. The sequence substitution, however, does not affect the encoded polypeptide. The allele was assigned as DRB1*13072. GN00133 and GN00138 are two unrelated African American individuals carrying a DRB1*1302 variant. The new allele differs from DRB1*1302 at codon 57, GTC verses GAT. This novel allele was assigned as DRB1*1331. The combination of group specific amplification and the reactivity pattern of SSOP make them useful to analyze polymorphism of the HLA DR genes.