Premium
Investigation into A antigen expression on O 2 heterozygous group O–labeled red blood cell units
Author(s) -
Yazer Mark H.,
Hult Annika K.,
Hellberg Åsa,
HosseiniMaaf Bahram,
Palcic Monica M.,
Olsson Martin L.
Publication year - 2008
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.1537-2995.2008.01732.x
Subject(s) - abo blood group system , hemolysis , microbiology and biotechnology , flow cytometry , allele , antigen , genotyping , chemistry , red cell , titer , biology , genotype , antibody , immunology , biochemistry , medicine , gene
BACKGROUND: There are two principal types of group O alleles; deletional alleles feature 261delG leading to nonfunctional truncated protein. Nondeletional alleles have the consensus guanosine at residue 261. The major nondeletional allele, O 2 , encodes full‐length protein with Gly268Arg. While reports vary, O 2 has been proposed to encode weakly functional A‐glycosyltransferase (GTA). The main objective of this study was to evaluate if GTA activity is detectable in O 2 donors. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Donor samples from Pittsburgh and Lund were ABO typed by automated methods. DNA was extracted from 779 group O donors whose red blood cells (RBCs) were available for transfusion. ABO genotyping identified those with O 2 alleles. The following tests were performed on randomly selected O 2 samples (number): adsorption‐elution with anti‐A (3), flow cytometry (15), plasma enzyme activity (4), and attempts to convert group O RBCs to A (2) with O 2 plasma and titration of plasma anti‐A/‐A 1 (3). RESULTS: Forty O 2 ‐heterozygous donors were identified (5.1%). Adsorption‐elution and sensitive flow cytometry did not reveal A antigens on O 2 RBCs. Plasma enzyme analysis failed to show GTA activity above baseline; O 2 plasma was unable to add measurable A antigens to O RBCs. Titers of anti‐A/‐A 1 appeared reduced in O 2 plasma but did not cause ABO typing discrepancies. No immediate hemolysis or adverse reactions were reported following transfusion of O 2 RBCs to six evaluable group O recipients. CONCLUSIONS: Other than lower plasma anti‐A titers, GTA activity was not found in these O 2 samples. Neither automated blood grouping discrepancies nor clinical problems related to transfusing these O 2 units were observed.