DETECTION OF RARE ALLELIC VARIANTS OF THE INTERFERON-ALPHA(2) GENE IN HUMAN GENOMIC DNA

We have analyzed human donor DNA for the presence of sequences corresponding to allelic variants of the IFN-alpha(2) locus. Using both restriction enzyme digestion of PCR-amplified fragments and sequence analysis of these fragments, we have identified the three reported allelic variants, IFN-alpha(2a), IFN-alpha(2b), and IFN-alpha(2c), in genomic DNA derived from donors of African or Afro-Caribbean origin. This is the first report of the IFN-alpha(2a) and IFN-alpha(2c) alleles occuring in human donor DNA and supports the view that these are variants of the predominant IFN-alpha(2b) allele rather than arising from mutations occurring in cultured cells.