HLA-C belongs to the HLA class I heavy chain paralogues.
This class I molecule is a heterodimer consisting of a heavy chain
and a light chain (beta-2 microglobulin). The heavy chain is
anchored in the membrane. Class I molecules play a central role in
the immune system by presenting peptides derived from endoplasmic
reticulum lumen. They are expressed in nearly all cells. The heavy
chain is approximately 45 kDa and its gene contains 8 exons. Exon
one encodes the leader peptide, exons 2 and 3 encode the alpha1 and
alpha2 domain, which both bind the peptide, exon 4 encodes the
alpha3 domain, exon 5 encodes the transmembrane region, and exons 6
and 7 encode the cytoplasmic tail. Polymorphisms within exon 2 and
exon 3 are responsible for the peptide binding specificity of each
class one molecule. Typing for these polymorphisms is routinely
done for bone marrow and kidney transplantation. Over one hundred
HLA-C alleles have been described
