HLA class II histocompatibility antigen, DQ(6) alpha chain is a
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...
that in humans is encoded by the ''HLA-DQA2''
gene
In biology, the word gene has two meanings. The Mendelian gene is a basic unit of heredity. The molecular gene is a sequence of nucleotides in DNA that is transcribed to produce a functional RNA. There are two types of molecular genes: protei ...
. Also known as ''HLA-DXA'' or ''DAAP-381D23.2'', it is part of the
human leukocyte antigen
The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system is a complex of genes on chromosome 6 in humans that encode cell-surface proteins responsible for regulation of the immune system. The HLA system is also known as the human version of the major histo ...
system.
The
protein
Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...
encoded by this gene is expressed, but unlike
HLA-DQA1
Major histocompatibility complex, class II, DQ alpha 1, also known as HLA-DQA1, is a human gene present on short arm of chromosome 6 (6p21.3) and also denotes the genetic locus which contains this gene. The protein encoded by this gene is one of ...
, it is apparently unable to heterodimerize with
HLA class II beta chain
paralogues
Sequence homology is the biological homology between DNA, RNA, or protein sequences, defined in terms of shared ancestry in the evolutionary history of life. Two segments of DNA can have shared ancestry because of three phenomena: either a speci ...
.
The low level of HLA-DQA2 expression is apparently due to impaired
transcription factor
In molecular biology, a transcription factor (TF) (or sequence-specific DNA-binding factor) is a protein that controls the rate of transcription (genetics), transcription of genetics, genetic information from DNA to messenger RNA, by binding t ...
binding to the HLA-DQA2 gene
promoter.
COVID-19
Transcriptome analysis of blood immune cells and nasopharyngeal cells before elaborate infection of study participants revealed that heightened expression of HLA-DQA2 correlates to a significantly lower chance of COVID-19 successfully infecting the individual.
References
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