Molecular genetic analysis and structure model of a rare B(A)02 subgroup of the ABO blood group system

Serological analysis of ABO blood group has been widely applied in transfusion medicine. However, ABO subgroups with different expression of blood group antigens sometimes cannot be determined by serological methods. Therefore, genotyping is useful to understand the variant ABO phenotypes.

Exon 6 to exon 7 and adjacent introns of the ABO gene from a donor with ABO typing discrepancy were amplified and sequenced. Cloning sequencing was also performed to identify the allele. To explore the effect of mutation, three dimensional model of mutant p.Pro234Ala was built and optimized.

The variant B (c. 700C > G) allele expressed an AweakB phenotype with anti-A in his serum with a ABO*B(A)02/O02 heterozygote genotype. Cloning sequencing confirmed that the c.700C > G single nucleotide polymorphism was associated with a B101 allele. Three dimensional molecular modeling suggested that p.Pro234Ala might affect the conformation of His233, Met266 and Ala268, which were known as critical residues for donor recognition.

ABO genotyping is needed for correct identification subgroups to improve accuracy evaluation of blood typing and increase the safety of blood transfusion. Alteration of DNA sequence in the ABO gene resulted in amino acid substitutions and led to a weak or missing expression of ABO antigens.