The RH blood group locus from RhD-positive donors is composed of two closely related genes, RHCE and RHD, encoding the Cc/Ee and D antigens, respectively. The major Rh antigen, D, is serologically defined as a mosaic of at least nine determinants (epD1 to epD9), and the lack of expression of some of these D epitopes at the surface of variant red blood cells defines the D category phenotypes. In...

he RHD gene is responsible for the expression of the D antigen hile RHCE encodes proteins carrying antigens C or c, and E r e. RHD is present or absent depending on the RH haplotype, nd RHCE displays four common alleles (ce, Ce, cE, CE) responible for the expression of the two antithetical (allelic) series f antigens. RHD gene deletion is the leading cause of the Dhenotype worldwide.1 Functiona...

The Rh blood group antigens derive from 2 genes, RHD and RHCE, that are located at chromosomal position 1p34.1-1p36 (chromosome 1, short arm, region 3, band 4, subband 1, through band 6). In whites, a cde haplotype with a deletion of the whole RHD gene occurs with a frequency of approximately 40%. The relative position of the 2 RH genes and the location of the RHD deletion was previously unknow...

A two-locus gene conversion model with selection is developed. Under the joint action of selection, mutation, gene conversion, recombination, and random genetic drift, approximate formulas for the expectations of the moments of allele frequencies and the expected amounts of variation within and between two loci are obtained by a diffusion method assuming relatively strong selection. It is shown...

BACKGROUND Blood cell antigens may cause maternal alloimmunization leading to fetal/newborn disorders. Non-invasive prenatal diagnostics (NIPD) of the blood group permits the determination of feto-maternal incompatibility. AIM To evaluate 14 years of blood group NIPD at the Institute of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine (IHTM) in Warsaw. METHODS Plasma DNA from 536 RhD-negative, 24 Rhc-ne...

The hyperbolic heat conduction equation (HHCE), which acknowledges the finite speed of heat propagation, is based on microscopic evidence from the kinetic theory and statistical mechanics. However, it was argued that the HHCE could violate the second law of thermodynamics. This paper shows that a HHCE like equation (RHCE) can be derived directly from the theory of relativity, as a direct conseq...

The RH blood group locus is composed of two sequence-related genes, RHD and RHCE, encoding the D, Cc, and Ee antigens in common Rh-positive phenotypes. In this report, we have analyzed the molecular basis of Rh antigens expression in weak D (Du) and RN donors, in whom there is a severe reduction of the D and C/e antigens, respectively. Genomic and transcript analysis of three unrelated low-grad...

By amplification and sequencing of RH gene intron 4 of various primates we demonstrate that an Alu-Sx-like element has been inserted in the RH gene of the common ancestor of humans, apes, Old World monkeys, and New World monkeys. The study of mouse and lemur intron 4 sequences allowed us to precisely define the insertion point of the Alu-Sx element in intron 4 of the RH gene ancestor common to ...

The use of transfusion therapy for sickle cell disease (SCD) is increasing due to expanded indications, increased availability of erythrocytapheresis, and oral chelators to treat transfusional iron overload. However, alloimmunization to red blood cell (RBC) blood group antigens remains a major complication for patients with SCD and often presents significant challenges in their medical manageme...

The D antigen is a mosaic comprising at least 30 epitopes. Partial Rh D phenotypes occur when there is absence of one or more of these epitopes, with the remainder expressed. The DVI phenotype is the most common of the partial D phenotypes, lacking most D antigen epitopes (ep D) (epD1, 2, 5-8 using the 9-epitope model or epD 1-4, 7-22, 26-29 using the 30-epitope model). DVI mothers may become i...