Identification of ABO alleles on forensic-type specimens using rapid-ABO genotyping

Historically, forensic and clinical laboratories utilize serological techniques to identify ABO blood types. These techniques rely on the detection of ABO-associated proteins and are sensitive with very accurate results. This laboratory has simplified the identification of ABO types by taking advantage of previously reported ABO DNA sequence differences. The Rapid-ABO technique involves a two-step process: (i) amplification of DNA samples using primer sets specific for the ABO alleles and (ii) electrophoresis and visualization of amplified ABO fragments on a 3% MetaPhor agarose gel. The major advantage of the Rapid-ABO technique is the identification of ABO genotypes compared to serological tests for ABO phenotypes. This two-step process identifies six possible ABO genotypes including AB, AA, BB, AO, BO and OO. The Rapid-ABO protocol works well with DNA extracted organically or using Chelex 100. Results can be obtained in less than a day utilizing 2 ng of DNA in the amplification reaction. Analysis of 23 animal species shows the Rapid-ABO primers amplify ABO alleles from only human, chimpanzee and gorilla DNA.