Rh and RHAG Blood Group Systems

The relative contribution of founder effects and natural selection to the observed distribution of human blood groups has been debated since blood group frequencies were shown to differ between populations almost a century ago. Advances in our understanding of the migration patterns of early humans from Africa to populate the rest of the world obtained through the use of Y chromosome and mtDNA markers do much to inform this debate. There are clear examples of protection against infectious diseases from inheritance of polymorphisms in genes encoding and regulating the expression of ABH and Lewis antigens in bodily secretions particularly in respect of Helicobacter pylori, norovirus, and cholera infections. However, available evidence suggests surviving malaria is the most significant selective force affecting the expression of blood groups. Red cells lacking or having altered forms of blood group-active molecules are commonly found in regions of the world in which malaria is endemic, notably the Fy(a-b-) phenotype and the S-s- phenotype in Africa and the Ge- and SAO phenotypes in South East Asia. Founder effects provide a more convincing explanation for the distribution of the D- phenotype and the occurrence of hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn in Europe and Central Asia. Show more

We have studied the membrane proteins of band 3 anion exchanger (AE1)-deficient mouse and human red blood cells. It has been shown previously that proteins of the band 3 complex are reduced or absent in these cells. In this study we show that proteins of the Rh complex are also greatly reduced (Rh-associated glycoprotein, Rh polypeptides, CD47, glycophorin B) or absent (LW). These observations suggest that the Rh complex is associated with the band 3 complex in healthy RBCs. Mouse band 3(-/-) RBCs differed from the human band 3-deficient RBCs in that they retained CD47. Aquaporin 1 was reduced, and its glycosylation was altered in mouse and human band 3-deficient RBCs. Proteins of the glycophorin C complex, and other proteins with independent cytoskeletal interactions, were present in normal or increased amounts. To obtain direct evidence for the association of the band 3 and the Rh protein complexes in the RBC, we examined whether Rh complex proteins were coimmunoprecipitated with band 3 from membranes. RhAG and Rh were found to be efficiently coimmunoprecipitated with band 3 from deoxycholate-solubilized membranes. Results suggest that band 3 forms the core of a macrocomplex of integral and peripheral RBC membrane proteins. The presence of these proteins in a single structural macrocomplex makes it likely that they have linked functional or regulatory roles. We speculate that this macrocomplex may function as an integrated CO(2)/O(2) gas exchange unit (metabolon) in the erythrocyte. Show more

Integrin Associated Protein (IAP) is a 50-kD membrane protein which copurifies with the integrin alpha v beta 3 from placenta and coimmunoprecipitates with beta 3 from platelets. IAP also is functionally associated with signal transduction from the Leukocyte Response Integrin. Using tryptic peptide sequence, human and murine IAP cDNAs have been isolated. The protein has an extracellular amino- terminal immunoglobulin domain that binds all monoclonal anti-IAP antibodies. The carboxy-terminal region is highly hydrophobic with three or five membrane-spanning segments and a short hydrophilic tail. Immunofluorescence microscopy suggests that this hydrophilic tail is located on the inside of the cytoplasmic membrane. Monoclonal anti-IAP antibody inhibits the binding of vitronectin-coated beads to alpha v beta 3 on human erythroleukemia cells, and polyclonal anti-IAP recognizes hamster IAP on CHO cells and inhibits vitronectin bead binding. When CHO cells are transfected with human IAP, monoclonal anti- human antibody completely inhibits vitronectin bead binding. These data suggest a model in which ligand binding by alpha v beta 3 is regulated by IAP. Show more