 Illustration of HLA-DQ with gliadin peptide in the binding pocket. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Polymer type | MHC Class II, DQ cell surface antigen | ||||||||||||||||||||
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HLA-DQ4 (DQ4) is a serotype subgroup within HLA-DQ(DQ) serotypes. The serotype is determined by the antibody recognition of β4 subset of DQ β-chains. The β-chain of DQ is encoded by HLA-DQB1 locus and DQ4 are encoded by the HLA-DQB1*04 allele group. This group currently contains 2 common alleles, DQB1*0401 and DQB1*0402. HLA-DQ4 and HLA-DQB1*04 are almost synonymous in meaning. DQ4 β-chains combine with α-chains, encoded by genetically linked HLA-DQA1 alleles, to form the cis-haplotype isoforms. These isoforms, nicknamed DQ4.3 and DQ4.4, are also encoded by the DQA1*0303 and DQA1*0401 genes, respectively.