Identification of a novel HLA-A allele, HLA-A*0355, in a Brazilian family of eastern European descendents.

The new human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I allele, HLA-A*0355 was identified in a Brazilian family. Our sequence analysis detected a mismatch located in exon 2, codon 86, at position 258 (C-->A) that results in a nonsilent and nonconservative substitution with the replacement of asparagine by lysine. Substitutions located at this oligosaccharide attachment site of the protein were observed in only other four classic HLA class I sequences, indicating a highly conserved peptide site however its function remains unknown.