High-Throughput Next-Generation Sequencing of the Kidd Blood Group: Unexpected Antigen Expression Properties of Four Alleles and Detection of Novel Variants.

Background: The blood supply for patients with foreign ethnic backgrounds can be challenging, as they often have blood group and HPA patterns that differ from the variants prevalent in the German population. In addition, hemoglobinopathies requiring regular blood transfusion may be more common in such populations. High-throughput genotyping tests can facilitate the identification of the most compatible blood products, thereby reducing the risk of transfusion reactions.

Molecular Blood Group Screening in Donors from Arabian Countries and Iran Using High-Throughput MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry and PCR-SSP.

Background And Aims: Only little is known about blood groups other than ABO blood groups and Rhesus factors in Arabian countries and Iran. During the last years, increased migration to Central Europe has put a focus on the question how to guarantee blood supply for patients from these countries, particularly because hemoglobinopathies with the need of regular blood support are more frequent in patients from that region. Therefore, blood group allele frequencies should be determined in individuals from Arabian countries and Iran by molecular typing and compared to a German rare donor panel.

Two Prevalent ∼100-kb Deletions Causative of the GPB-Deficient Blood Group MNS Phenotype S-s-U- in Black Africans.

The U antigen (MNS5) is one of 49 antigens belonging to the MNS blood group system (ISBT002) carried on glycophorins A (GPA) and B (GPB). U is present on the red blood cells in almost all Europeans and Asians but absent in approximately 1.0% of Black Africans.

The AQP1 mutation c.601delG causes the Co-negative phenotype in four patients belonging to the Romani (Gypsy) ethnic group.

Background: The Colton blood group antigens Co(a), Co(b) and Co3 are encoded by the AQP1 gene which produces a water channel forming integral protein. The extremely rare Co-deficiency enables immunisation against the Co3 isoantigen.

Materials And Methods: Four patients from different regions of Europe who belong to the ethnic minority of Romani (Gypsy) presented with irregular antibodies against a high frequency red blood cell antigen.

Mismatched transfusion of 8 AB0-incompatible units of packed red blood cells in a patient with acute intermittent porphyria.

We report on a patient with acute intermittent porphyria, who received 8 AB0 incompatible units of packed red blood cells in an emergency situation. She never showed any signs of severe intravascular haemolysis. The patient died after four weeks because of a multi-organ failure caused from the malpractice of the porphyria.

Aberrant intracellular trafficking of a variant B glycosyltransferase.

Background: Little is known about the mechanism by which amino acid polymorphisms outside the catalytically active cleft of ABO glycosyltransferases cause weak ABO phenotypes.

Study Design And Methods: Extensive ABO phenotyping and genotyping were performed to classify the blood of a healthy blood group O donor with weak isoagglutinins. ABO antigen and glycosyltransferase expression profiles were then studied in eukaryotic transfection experiments, and the topology of ABO glycosyltransferase was analyzed.