Transcripts of the mhc class i hla-g gene and their applications

Abstract

Transcripts of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) Class I HLA-G gene which are present in foetal trophoblasts and/or in adult circulating mono-nuclear cells, as well as their applications. Either the said transcripts comprise, in succession in the 5′ to 3′ direction: a fragment encoding the signal peptide (exon 1), a fragment encoding the &agr;1 domain (exon 2), a fragment encoding the &agr;2 domain (exon 3), a fragment encoding the transmembrane TM domain (exon 5), a fragment encoding the cytoplasmic domain (exon 6) and the 3′ untranslated fragment (exon 8), which sequence is designated HLA-G4, or the said transcripts comprise intron 4.