Identification of a novel frequent RHCE*ce308T variant allele in Chinese D- individuals, resulting in a C+c- phenotype.

Background: The RHCE allele is highly polymorphic; more than 60 variants have been described leading to diminished expression of C, c, E, and e antigens. Not much is known about the prevalence of RHCE variants in the Chinese population. Individuals carrying a variant are at risk to develop alloantibodies in response to mismatched pregnancy or transfusion.