Nomenclature for factors of the HLA system, 1980*

Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 58 (6): 945-948 Nomenclature for factors of the HLA system, 1980* This article outlines the decisions made by the WHO nomenclature committee on leukocyte antigens at a meeting held after the 8th International Workshop on Histocompatibility Testing. Particular attention is given to new designationsforprovisional HLA-B and HLA-DR specificities and the upgrading of certain HLA-D and HLA-DR specificities to fullHLA status. The existence ofsupertypic cross-reacting specificities was confirmed and extended. The HLA nomenclature committee met under the auspices of the World Health Organization and the International Union of Immunological Societies, after the 8th International Histocompatibility Testing Workshop, in order to consider revisions and additions to the nomenclature following the principles established in previous reports (1-5). HLA-A, HLA-B, and HLA-Cspecificities There are no changes or additions to the nomen- clature for the HLA-A specificities. There are no changes to the nomenclature for the previously identified HLA-B specificities. New desig- nations for provisional HLA-B specificities are listed in Table 1. All are subdivisions or "splits" of previously identified specificities. At present, Bw59 (defined by extra reactions of some B8 antisera) is found predominantly in Oriental populations. The following suggested specificities were considered, but the committee felt that they were not sufficiently well defined to be given a provisional designation: 8w57a (Bf, SN-2, Te9O), 8w58 (5y, Te73), 8w59 (Bu, SV, K5, DA(6), 8w62 (14.2), 8w63 (14.1), 8w66 (Te74, 15.3). As there has been no change in the nomenclature for the complement components coded for by genes in the HLA region, it has been decided to retain the Cw nomenclature for all the HLA-C locus specificities * The report of the HLA nomenclature committee was first published in Tissue antigens, 16: 113-117 (1980). This terminology note, which was drafted by the signatories listed on page 946, is based on the report and is published by permission of Munksgaard International Publishers Ltd., Copenhagen. A French translation will be published in a future issue of the Bulletin. a 8w57, etc., were designations used during the 8th Workshop (6). Table 1. New designations for provisional specificities of the HLA-B locus 8th Workshop New Previous equivalents nomenclature HLA-Bw55 22.1 8w55 HLA-Bw56 22.2, Te92, Da3O 8w56 HLA-Bw57 17.1, 17A, 17 long 8w67 HLA-Bw58 17.2, 17B, 17 short 8w68 HLA-Bw59 HOK-1, 8.2 8w69 HLA-Bw6O 40.1 8w60 HLA-Bw61 40.2 8w61 HLA-Bw62 15.1, To53, 15B,Te72 8w64 HLA-Bw63 15.2, To52, 15A, Te71 8w65 (4), even though Cwl, Cw2, Cw3, Cw4, and Cw5 are sufficiently well defined to justify upgrading to full HLA nomenclature status. Cw6 remains difficult to define, especially in the presence of Cw4. Two new HLA-Cw specificities are given in Table 2. Table 2. New designations for provisional specificities of the HLA-C locus 8th Workshop New Previous equivalents nomnenclature HLA-Cw7 Cve, CTo-1 8wCw7 HLA-Cw8 T8, T9 8wCw8, 8wCw9 4024 -945- HLA SYSTEM: NOMENCLATURE HLA-D specificities The definition of the specificities Dwl, Dw2, Dw3, and Dw5 has improved but is still not good enough to allow the provisional w designation to be dropped. The inclusion of Dwl 1 in Dw7 was confirmed during the 8th Workshop, although Dw7 itself is difficult to define. The identification of Dw1O was much im- proved, whereas Dw4, Dw6, Dw8, and Dw9 are still poorly defined, with clear indications of heterogeneity for Dw4 and Dw6. One new specificity was defined in Oriental populations, namely HLA-Dwl2, formerly DHO or DB4 (8th Workshop designations) (6). Other specificities discussed, but considered not sufficiently well defined to be given a provisional designation, include DB1 (associated with Dw7), DB2 (associated with Dw5), DB3, and DB5 (8th Workshop designations) (6). HLA-DR specificities The DR specificities upgraded to full HLA status are listed in Table 3. DRw6 retains its provisional status since the lack of operationally monospecific antisera makes its definition difficult. Three new provisional specificities are listed in Table 4. While the correlation between the previously well-established D and DR specificities remains unambiguous, it has become clear that the definition of new specificities has made it difficult to maintain the parallelism between the D and DR nomenclature. Thus DRw9 and DRw1O are not specifically associated with Dw9 and Dw1O. Other specificities discussed, but not considered sufficiently well defined to be given a provisional designation, included 8wl 3, YYY or 5/6, and various suggested subdivisions of DRw6. The existence of supertypic cross-reacting specifi- cities, which had been partially identified during the 7th workshop (5), was confirmed during the 8th Workshop. The combinations (DR1, DR2, DRw6, DRw1O), (DR3, DR5, DRw6, DRw8), and (DR4, Table 3. New designations for HLA-DR specificities that have been upgraded to full HLA status New Previous HLA-DR1 HLA-DRw1 HLA-DR2 HLA-DRw2 HLA-DR3 HLA-DRw3 HLA-DR4 HLA-DRw4 HLA-DR5 HLA-DRw5 HLA-DR7 HLA-DRw7 Table 4. New designations for provisional specificities of the HLA-DR locus 8th Workshop New Previous equivalents nomenclature HLA-DRw8 WIA8 8wDRw8 HLA-DRw9 WIA4x7, DuB15 8wDRw12 included DRw9 and DRwlO HLA-DRwlO ST-1, LTM 8wDRw14 DR7, DRw9) were noted and given the designations MT1 (DC1), MT2, and MT3, respectively (6). It is not yet clear whether these supertypic antigens and certain other specificities discussed in the report of the 8th Workshop (6) are on the currently recognized DR locus molecular products, or on other locus products, or both. These, and other problems of definition of combinations of specificities need to be clarified by further analysis of the serological and genetic data and by other approaches, such as the use of monoclonal antibodies and detailed biochemical analysis. * * E. Albert, Kinderpoliklinik der Universitat, Munich, Germany D. B. Amos, Duke Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA (Chairman) W. F. Bodmer, Imperial Cancer Research Fund Laboratories, London, England (Rapporteur) R. Ceppellini, Institute for Immunology, Basel, Switzerland J. Dausset, Institut de Recherches sur les Maladies du Sang, Hopital Saint-Louis, Paris, France F. Kissmeyer-Nielsen, The University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark W. Mayr, Institut fUr Blutgruppenserologie, Vienna University, Vienna, Austria R. Payne, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA (Rapporteur) J. J. van Rood, University of Leiden, Leiden, The Netherlands P. I. Terasaki, UCLA School of Medicine, Uni- versity of California, Los Angeles, California, USA R. L. Walford, UCLA School of Medicine, Uni- versity of California, Los Angeles, California, USA 946 HLA SYSTEM: NOMENCLATURE Table 5. Complete listing of recognized HLA specificitiesa HLA-A HLA-B HLA-C HLA-D HLA-DR HLA-Al HLA-B15 HLA-Cwl HLA-Dwl HLA-DR1 HLA-A2 HLA-B137 HLA-Cw2 HLA-Dw2 HLA-DR2 HLA-A3 HLA-B18 HLA-Cw3 HLA-Dw3 HLA-DR3 HLA-A9 HLA-Bw12 HLA-Cw4 HLA-Dw4 HLA-DR4 HLA-A1O HLA-813 HLA-Cw5 HLA-Dw5 HLA-DR5 HLA-All HLA-114 HLA-Cw6 HLA-Dw6 HLA-DRw6 HLA-Aw19 HLA-B27 HLA-CW7 HLA-DW7 HLA-DR7 HLA-Aw23(9) HLA-Bw16 HLA-Cw8 HLA-Dw8 HLA-DRw8 HLA-Aw24(9) HLA-B317 HLA-Dw HLA-DRw9 HLA-A25( 10) HLA-1B18 HLA-DwlO HLA-DRwlO HLA-A26(10) HLA-Bw21 HLA-Dwll HLA-A28 HLA-Bw22 HLA-Dw12 HLA-A29 HLA-B27 HLA-Aw36 HLA-Bw35 HLA-Aw3l HLA-B137 HLA-Aw32 HLA-Bw38(w16) HLA-Aw33 HLA-Bw39(w16) HLA-Aw34 HLA-B40 HLA-Aw36 HLA-Bw41 HLA-Aw43 HLA-Bw42 HLA-Bw44(12) HLA-Bw45(12) HLA-Bw46 HLA-Bw47 HLA-Bw48 HLA-Bw49(w2l) HLA-Bw55(w21) HLA-Bw5l(5) HLA-Bw52(5) HLA-Bw53 HLA-Bw54(w22) HLA-Bw55(w22) HLA-Bw56(w22) HLA-Bw57(17) HLA-Bw58(17) HLA-Bw59 HLA-Bw6O(40) HLA-Bw6l (40) HLA-Bw62(15) HLA-Bw63(15) HLA-BW4b HLA-Bw6 a The listing of broad specificities in parentheses after a narrow specificity, e.g., HLA-Aw23(9) is optional. The following arose as clear-cut splits of other specificities. HLA-A9 into Aw23, Aw24 HLA-A1O into A25, A26 HLA-B5 into Bw5l, Bw52 HLA-B12 into Bw44, Bw45 HLA-B15 into Bw62, Bw63 HLA-Bw16 into Bw38, Bw39 HLA-B17 into Bw57, Bw58 HLA-Bw21 into Bw49, Bw5O HLA-Bw22 into Bw54, Bw55, Bw56 HLA-B40 into Bw6O, Bw6l b The following are the generally agreed inclusions of HLA-B specificities in Bw4 and Bw6: Bw4: B13, B27, B37, Bw38(w16), Bw44(12), Bw47, Bw49(w21), Bw5l(5), Bw52(5), Bw53, Bw57(17), Bw58(17), Bw59, Bw63(15) Bw6: B7, B8, B14, B18, Bw35, Bw39(16), Bw4l, Bw42, Bw45(12), Bw46, Bw48, Bw50(w21), Bw54(w22), Bw55(w22), Bw56(w22), Bw6O(40), Bw6l(40), Bw62(15). 947 948 HLA SYSTEM: NOMENCLATURE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The contributions of Dr Domenico Bernoco, Dr Min Sik Park, Dr M. R. Mickey, Dr Bo Dupont, and Dr Edmund Yunis, who acted as co-opted members of the committee for the meeting that led to the preparation of this report, are gratefully acknowledged. REFERENCES 1. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 39: 483 (1968). 2. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 47: 659 (1972). 3. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 52: 261 (1975). 4. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 56: 461 (1978). 5. BODMER, W. ET AL., ed., Histocompatibility testing 1977. Copenhagen, Munksgaard, 1978. 6. TERASAKI, P. I., ed., Histocompatibility testing 1980. Los Angeles, California, UCLA Tissue Typing Labora- tory, 1980.