Oct 5, 2022 04:30 PM
The ‘Er’ grouping could help doctors identify and treat some rare cases of blood incompatibility, including between pregnant mothers and fetuses.
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/new-blood-types
EXCERPT: . . . The results of the study will likely be officially ratified as defining a new blood group system later this year, at a meeting of the International Society of Blood Transfusion. The effort required to make the discovery was “massive,” says Neil Avent, honorary professor in the blood diagnostics group at the University of Plymouth, who was not involved in the work. It also revealed complexities about this rare blood—for instance, that there are multiple genetic mutations associated with it.
Across the Atlantic, a separate team of researchers had also been trying to unravel the secrets of the new Er blood group, but were beaten by the British team. “That happens in this field,” says Connie Westhoff of the New York Blood Center, who was part of the US research. “We often know that we’re racing to find the solution in several different laboratories.”
She says she and her colleagues have additional blood samples that appear to be from people with a rare Er blood group. And the research may not be over, she suggests—there are possibly more genetic mutations associated with this rare blood to uncover.
“Discovering a new blood group system is like discovering a new planet. It enlarges the landscape of our reality,” says Daniela Hermelin at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study. It adds to our knowledge of how blood incompatibility can affect pregnant mothers and their babies, she explains. And now that cases of blood incompatibility can potentially be attributed to the Er blood group, it increases the chance that doctors can correctly diagnose such a problem and treat it—by giving the baby a blood transfusion in the womb, for example.
It will also be possible to look out for and identify patients who have this troublesome blood. For example, someone might go to a hospital for a transfusion and have a preliminary blood test that reveals the presence of some unusual antibodies. Doctors could send the blood for analysis, and it might turn out that they have the rare Er blood described in the paper... (MORE - missing details)
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Discovery of Er Blood Group System
https://www.bristol.ac.uk/biochemistry/n...ystem.html
Scientists from the University of Bristol and NHS Blood & Transplant (NHSBT) have discovered a rare new blood group system. The findings, published in Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology, also solve a 30-year mystery.
RELEASE: A person’s blood type is determined by the presence or absence of proteins known as blood groups that are present on the surface of red blood cells. Although most people are familiar with the concept of blood groups such as ABO or Rh (the plus or minus), there are many other important blood groups. Where mismatch exists between one person’s blood and that of another, the possibility of alloimmunisation (the process by which a person generates an antibody against a blood group antigen that they do not carry) arises. The presence of alloantibodies can have clinical consequences in transfusion or pregnancy by triggering an attack by the immune system
Researchers from Bristol’s School of Biochemstry and NHSBT’s International Blood Group Reference Laboratory (IBGRL) spearheaded an international collaboration which sought to investigate a 30-year mystery surrounding the basis of three known, but genetically uncharacterised, antigens that did not fit into any known blood group system.
In this study, individuals with alloantibodies against a collection of antigens termed Er, that were first observed more than 30-years ago, were investigated by applying a powerful technique allowing simultaneous analysis of all their gene coding DNA sequences. Specific changes were identified in the gene coding for the Piezo1 protein, which would result in the production of an altered protein on the cell surface of these individuals. Using gene editing in an immortalised cell-line developed in Bristol, the Piezo1 protein was first removed and then reintroduced to definitively prove that alloantibodies to Er antigens (including two never before reported) bind to Piezo1, and that Piezo1 is required for Er antigen expression.
Using a combination of cutting-edge DNA sequencing and gene-editing techniques, the team were able to conclusively show that Piezo1, a protein of widespread biological interest, is the carrier for these sites (and more) and, in so doing, establish Er as a new blood group system.
Sadly, alloantibodies found in two pregnant women to two newly discovered Er antigens reported in this work were associated with tragic loss of their babies. Discovering the genetic basis of blood groups allows scientists to develop new tests to identify those with uncommon blood groups, with the aim of providing the best possible care for patients with even the rarest of blood types. Piezo1 is known to have important roles in both health and disease and, although there is still much for us to understand, the team’s breakthrough further enhances our knowledge and represents another new milestone in blood sciences.
Dr Tim Satchwell, one of the study’s lead authors at the University of Bristol, said: “This study is a great example of how new technologies can combine with more traditional approaches to address long-standing questions that would have been impossible to answer not that many years ago. The fact that Er turned out to be Piezo1, a protein with such widespread interest makes it even more intriguing.”
Professor Ash Toye, Professor of Cell Biology at the University of Bristol and Director of the NIHR Blood and Transplant Research Unit, said: “This work demonstrates that even after all the research conducted to date, the simple red blood cell can still surprise us. Piezo proteins are mechanosensory proteins that are used by the red cell to sense when its being squeezed. 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.”
https://www.wired.co.uk/article/new-blood-types
EXCERPT: . . . The results of the study will likely be officially ratified as defining a new blood group system later this year, at a meeting of the International Society of Blood Transfusion. The effort required to make the discovery was “massive,” says Neil Avent, honorary professor in the blood diagnostics group at the University of Plymouth, who was not involved in the work. It also revealed complexities about this rare blood—for instance, that there are multiple genetic mutations associated with it.
Across the Atlantic, a separate team of researchers had also been trying to unravel the secrets of the new Er blood group, but were beaten by the British team. “That happens in this field,” says Connie Westhoff of the New York Blood Center, who was part of the US research. “We often know that we’re racing to find the solution in several different laboratories.”
She says she and her colleagues have additional blood samples that appear to be from people with a rare Er blood group. And the research may not be over, she suggests—there are possibly more genetic mutations associated with this rare blood to uncover.
“Discovering a new blood group system is like discovering a new planet. It enlarges the landscape of our reality,” says Daniela Hermelin at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study. It adds to our knowledge of how blood incompatibility can affect pregnant mothers and their babies, she explains. And now that cases of blood incompatibility can potentially be attributed to the Er blood group, it increases the chance that doctors can correctly diagnose such a problem and treat it—by giving the baby a blood transfusion in the womb, for example.
It will also be possible to look out for and identify patients who have this troublesome blood. For example, someone might go to a hospital for a transfusion and have a preliminary blood test that reveals the presence of some unusual antibodies. Doctors could send the blood for analysis, and it might turn out that they have the rare Er blood described in the paper... (MORE - missing details)
- - - - - - - - - -
Discovery of Er Blood Group System
https://www.bristol.ac.uk/biochemistry/n...ystem.html
Scientists from the University of Bristol and NHS Blood & Transplant (NHSBT) have discovered a rare new blood group system. The findings, published in Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology, also solve a 30-year mystery.
RELEASE: A person’s blood type is determined by the presence or absence of proteins known as blood groups that are present on the surface of red blood cells. Although most people are familiar with the concept of blood groups such as ABO or Rh (the plus or minus), there are many other important blood groups. Where mismatch exists between one person’s blood and that of another, the possibility of alloimmunisation (the process by which a person generates an antibody against a blood group antigen that they do not carry) arises. The presence of alloantibodies can have clinical consequences in transfusion or pregnancy by triggering an attack by the immune system
Researchers from Bristol’s School of Biochemstry and NHSBT’s International Blood Group Reference Laboratory (IBGRL) spearheaded an international collaboration which sought to investigate a 30-year mystery surrounding the basis of three known, but genetically uncharacterised, antigens that did not fit into any known blood group system.
In this study, individuals with alloantibodies against a collection of antigens termed Er, that were first observed more than 30-years ago, were investigated by applying a powerful technique allowing simultaneous analysis of all their gene coding DNA sequences. Specific changes were identified in the gene coding for the Piezo1 protein, which would result in the production of an altered protein on the cell surface of these individuals. Using gene editing in an immortalised cell-line developed in Bristol, the Piezo1 protein was first removed and then reintroduced to definitively prove that alloantibodies to Er antigens (including two never before reported) bind to Piezo1, and that Piezo1 is required for Er antigen expression.
Using a combination of cutting-edge DNA sequencing and gene-editing techniques, the team were able to conclusively show that Piezo1, a protein of widespread biological interest, is the carrier for these sites (and more) and, in so doing, establish Er as a new blood group system.
Sadly, alloantibodies found in two pregnant women to two newly discovered Er antigens reported in this work were associated with tragic loss of their babies. Discovering the genetic basis of blood groups allows scientists to develop new tests to identify those with uncommon blood groups, with the aim of providing the best possible care for patients with even the rarest of blood types. Piezo1 is known to have important roles in both health and disease and, although there is still much for us to understand, the team’s breakthrough further enhances our knowledge and represents another new milestone in blood sciences.
Dr Tim Satchwell, one of the study’s lead authors at the University of Bristol, said: “This study is a great example of how new technologies can combine with more traditional approaches to address long-standing questions that would have been impossible to answer not that many years ago. The fact that Er turned out to be Piezo1, a protein with such widespread interest makes it even more intriguing.”
Professor Ash Toye, Professor of Cell Biology at the University of Bristol and Director of the NIHR Blood and Transplant Research Unit, said: “This work demonstrates that even after all the research conducted to date, the simple red blood cell can still surprise us. Piezo proteins are mechanosensory proteins that are used by the red cell to sense when its being squeezed. 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.”
Further information
1. Most people are familiar with the two main blood group systems, which are the ABO system, and the Rh- system. However there are many more blood group systems, with varying risks of a reaction. Er is the 44th blood group system to be discovered. Within each blood group system, there are various blood group antigens. Although most people may be unaware of the majority of blood group systems (beyond ABO), this does not mean that they are not relevant, and minor changes can have clinical consequences for pregnant women and people who need a transfusion.
2. Nearly 40 years have passed since the high incidence red blood cell Era antigen was first described, and throughout this period its molecular basis has remained elusive.
3. The carrier molecule for this blood group system is Piezo1, a protein which plays an important role in many biological processes.