Karmactive Team
An individual’s blood not set by the presence of proteins known as blood groups that are found on the surface of red platelets. Even if many are aware of all these blood groups, there are quite a few important groups. Scientists have discovered a new category of blood group in the UK.
Although the high incidence red cell antigen Era was discovered almost 40 years ago lot of study is going on with the same. Its molecular origins, along with those of the other two Er blood group members, have not yet been fully understood.
The International Blood Group Reference Laboratory (IBGRL) of NHSBT and the School of Biochemistry at the University of Bristol led an international collaboration to look into a 30-year old mystery involving the origin of three known but genetically uncharacterized antigens that did not correspond to any known blood group system.”The fact that Er turned out to be Piezo1, a protein with such widespread interest makes it even more intriguing,” said Dr Tim Satchwell, one of the study’s lead authors at the University of Bristol,
The team established Er as a new blood group system by clearly demonstrating that Piezo1, a protein of broad biological importance, is the carrier for these sites (and more) using a combination of cutting-edge DNA sequencing and gene-editing techniques.”The protein is present at only a few hundred copies in the membrane of each cell. This study really highlights the potential antigenicity of even very lowly expressed proteins and their relevance for transfusion medicine,” concluded Professor Ash Toye, Professor of Cell Biology at the University of Bristol and Director of the NIHR Blood and Transplant Research Unit.
