[Research of RhD protein in Rh blood group Del phenotype]

To study the expression of RhD protein in Rh blood group Del phenotype.

Peripheral blood samples were collected from 3 voluntary blood donors with different Rh phenotypes: CCD(el)D(el)ee, CcD(el)dee, and CcD(el)D(el)ee, and 4 controls: 2 RhD positive with the phenotypes of CCDDee and CcDDEe, and 2 RhD negative with the phenotypes: Ccddee and ccddee. Reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR) and cDNA sequencing were used to detect the RhD mRNA and the expression of Del protein.

The Del individuals all showed complicated RhD mRNA isolations, including 6 transcripts: isoforms with exons 7-9 spliced, exons 7 and 9 spliced, exons 8 and 9 spliced, exon 9 spliced and 2 long transcripts with exons 8 and 9 spliced or exon 9 spliced, but containing an additional segment of sequence from RHD intron 7 (917-1086, GenBank AB035194), those transcripts all being out of exon 9 and the Del9 transcript being the most similar to the normal RhD mRNA.

Normal RhD mRNA does not exist in the Del blood group that does not code normal RhD protein.