Unveiling the variability of MR1 genes: Insights from Sake Van Wageningen’s research

Discover the pioneering research conducted by our colleague, Sake Van Wageningen, Senior Scientist in Molecular Diagnostics at GenDx. His recent publication explores the intriguing variability of MR1 genes and its implications for understanding genetic diversity.

As the author explains:

‘HLA genes are clustered on chromosome 6. However, a gene with a very similar structure to the HLA class I genes is found on chromosome 1. This gene is called MR1. The structure of MR1 is that of a typical MHC class I gene, with exon 1 coding for a leader peptide and exons 2–4 coding for extracellular domains, including α1- and α2-domains that form the antigen-binding cleft. Unlike classical HLA class I genes, MR1 is assumed to have limited polymorphic positions. We developed a MR1 specific PCR assay and sequenced 56 DNA samples from cells with a diverse set of HLA genotypes. In this relatively small panel we found six allele groups encoding for different MR1 proteins. The data presented in the article is consistent with marked variation in MR1.’

To access the full article, click here.