Premium
“Minus Minus” Phenotypes
Author(s) -
Allen Fh
Publication year - 1961
Publication title -
transfusion
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.045
H-Index - 132
eISSN - 1537-2995
pISSN - 0041-1132
DOI - 10.1111/j.1537-2995.1961.tb00043.x
Subject(s) - citation , computer science , information retrieval , library science , combinatorics , mathematics
MOST HUMANS have on their red blood cells at least one antigen from each of the first nine blood-group families. This is a universal truth of obvious importance, even though its significance is not now apparent. The simplest possibility is that each of the blood group systems provides essential materials for the construction of the red cell envelope, and that the most satisfactory materials are those produced by the common genes. Occasionally persons are encountered who have no detectable antigen of one of the blood group families: the term “minus minus” has been used by Race and Sanger13 to describe such phenotypes, as well as other phenotypes in which alternative antigens are lacking though other antigens of the system are still present. These rare types are a source of great interest and speculation, both as to their significance and their genetic explanation. The original “minus minus” phenotype was Landsteiner’s common type O,9 which was long considered as merely the absence of both the known antigens A and B. Then, in 1927, Schiff17 discovered that type 0 bloods all had the antigen H, which was interpreted as indicating that the 0 gene, allelic to A and B , produced antigen H, and type 0 seemed neatly explained. The genetic interpretation of common type 0