Genetic conservation of the GIL blood group determining aquaporin 3 gene in African and Caucasian populations.

Background: The human GIL blood group is encoded by the aquaporin 3 (AQP3), a water-glycerol channel present in human red cell (RBC) membranes. So far no molecular investigation of this gene has been performed in an African population.

Study Design And Methods: To analyze the genetic variability of the AQP3 gene in African and European persons, all exons including the boundaries to introns and the promoter region were sequenced.