Entries by Richard Casey

HLA Typing: Unlocking the Secrets of the Human Immune System

HLA Typing, or Human Leukocyte Antigen typing, is a powerful tool in the world of medical research and clinical applications. As the cornerstone of understanding the human immune system, HLA Typing has become increasingly essential for successful organ transplantation, disease susceptibility research, and pharmacogenomics. In this blog post, we will delve into the role of […]

The HLA-DRB5 Gene

The HLA-DRB5 gene is a human leukocyte antigen gene located on chromosome 6. It is a part of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) family, which helps the immune system recognize and respond to foreign substances. HLA-DRB5 is involved in presenting peptide antigens to T-cells for recognition. HLA-DRB5 is a polymorphic gene, meaning that it has […]

The HLA-G Gene

HLA-G is a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) gene located on human chromosome 6. The gene is a member of the HLA-A, -B, -C, -E, -F, and -G family of molecules, which are involved in the regulation of the immune system and other cellular functions. HLA-G is expressed at the surface of cells in a variety […]

The HLA-DQB1 Gene

The HLA-DQB1 gene is an important component of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system, a group of genes that regulate the immune system. It is located on chromosome 6 in humans and encodes a class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecule, known as the HLA-DQB1 molecule. The HLA-DQB1 gene plays a key role in antigen […]

The HLA-DQA1 Gene

The HLA-DQA1 gene is a member of the HLA gene family, which is located on the short arm of chromosome 6. The gene encodes proteins that are involved in the immune response and are part of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). HLA-DQA1 proteins are primarily expressed on the surface of antigen-presenting cells, such as macrophages, […]

The HLA-DPB1 Gene

The HLA-DPB1 gene is a gene located on the short arm of the sixth chromosome (6p21.3) and is part of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) major histocompatibility complex (MHC) locus. The HLA-DPB1 gene is important for the immune system as it is involved in the recognition of foreign antigens. Specifically, the HLA-DPB1 gene encodes for […]

The HLA-DPA1 Gene

The HLA-DPA1 gene belongs to the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) family and is located on chromosome 6. It plays a key role in the immune system by helping the body to recognize and respond to foreign antigens. The gene provides instructions for making a protein that is a component of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) […]

The HLA-DRB4 Gene

The HLA-DRB4 gene is a member of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) family, which is responsible for coding proteins that help the body’s immune system recognize and fight off foreign substances, such as viruses and bacteria. The HLA-DRB4 gene, located on the short arm of human chromosome 6, encodes a transmembrane glycoprotein that antigen-presenting cells […]

The HLA-DRB3 Gene

HLA-DRB3 is a human leukocyte antigen (HLA) gene located on chromosome 6. It codes for a polymorphic cell surface glycoprotein known as the DRB3 molecule. This molecule is a member of the MHC class II family of immune-related proteins and is expressed on the surface of antigen presenting cells. HLA-DRB3 is involved in the recognition […]

The HLA-DRB1 Gene

The HLA-DRB1 gene is a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) gene located on human chromosome 6. It is a polymorphic gene, meaning that it has many different forms that vary from person to person. The HLA-DRB1 gene encodes for the HLA-DRB1 protein, which is a type of MHC class II molecule. MHC molecules play an important […]

The HLA-C Gene

The HLA-C gene is a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I gene located on human chromosome 6. It is a member of the MHC Class I family of genes, which are responsible for the recognition and presentation of antigens to the immune system. The HLA-C gene is composed of two exons, which encode the heavy […]

Nanopore Long-Reads Coming to HLA

GenDx announced NGS-Turbo, a long-read HLA sequencing product for Nanopore instruments. Although we will have to see the actual protocol in practice, HLA sequencing with Nanopore long-reads should offer significant benefits in relation to short-read technologies, including: 1) Dramatic improvement in turnaround time. Nanopore long-read protocols for lib prep and sequencing often require just hours, […]

Novel HLA Allele Identified

In May, 2020, we reported on the likely discovery of a novel HLA-B allele (https://bit.ly/3TsmmtY). At that time, we performed HLA typing and sequence alignments against the then current version of the IMGT/HLA database, namely, v.3.38.0. The sample was typed as B*27:05:02:01/B*39:06:02:01 with a single exon mismatch. Fig. 1. Initial HLA typing. Our client requested […]

Illumina Announces Long Reads

Illumina recently announced the upcoming availability of long-read technology at the 40th Annual J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, in a press release and on Illumina’s Genomics Research Hub.  The new long-read sequencing assay is code-named Infinity and is predicted to launch in the second-half of 2022.  However, no firm release date has been set.   Illumina […]

On an HLA Null Allele Case Study

A recent case study report describes the discovery of a novel HLA null allele and its effect on protein synthesis and gene expression (Rozar, 2021).  We occasionally deliver HLA reports that include null alleles.  This case study highlights the potential importance of null alleles for donor-recipient HLA matching in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). HLA null […]

The Sequencing Center Now Offers Long-Read Sequencing Services

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Fort Collins, Colorado, 10/12/2020 – The Sequencing Center, a genome sequencing service provider for biological and clinical research, announced today that it will offer long-read sequencing services to supplement its current short-read services. With this new service, the Center will provide a comprehensive suite of whole genome and targeted sequencing solutions. “We’re […]

How Did We Discover a Novel HLA Allele?

Introduction One of the pleasures of owning a genomics company is assisting client researchers with new discoveries.  Recently, one of our clients completed an 11-loci, 4-field HLA typing project for a clinical trial project.  Using Illumina Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) instruments they multiplexed 48 samples for quick turnaround on a short-deadline schedule.  While most samples […]

HLA Susceptibility in SARS-CoV-2

Intro Nguyen et al. recently published a paper “Human leukocyte antigen susceptibili8ty map for SARS-CoV-2” in the Journal of Virology  Using in-silico methods, they assessed the binding affinities of MHC Class I alleles (HLA-A, HLA-B, HLA-C) with all known SARS-CoV-2 8-12mer peptides from the full SARS-CoV-2 proteome.  Presumably, the binding affinities of MHC Class I molecules to […]

Cost Savings with Multiplex Samples

Multiplex Sequencing Multiplexing is a method of combining two or more samples (pooling samples) in a single sequencing run.  Multiplexing can increase the throughput of sequencing runs and save money at the same time. Conceptually, multiplexing is a fairly straightforward process.   Fig. 1 Fig. 1 shows how (two) samples are multiplexed and demultiplexed in […]

Bacteriophage DNA Extraction Protocol

We routinely perform bacteriophage whole genome sequencing.  However, we do not currently offer phage DNA extraction services.  Instead, researchers perform phage DNA extraction at their own facilities and then ship purified gDNA to our sequencing Lab.  Apparently, DNA extraction for some phage species can be challenging.  Therefore, we present the following option. Jakociune and Moodley, […]