SERF: A new antigen in the Cromer blood group system

• Main Authors: J. Banks, J. Poole, N. Ahrens, A. Seltsam, A. Salama, K. Hue-Roye, J. R. Storry, P. Palacajornsuk, B. W. Ma, D. M. Lublin, Marion E. Reid
• Other Authors: National Blood Service
• Format: Article
• Published: 2018
• Subjects: Immunology and Microbiology
• Online Access: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/21364
• Institution: Mahidol University

The Cromer blood group system consists of eight high incidence and three low incidence antigens carried on decay-accelerating factor (DAF). This report describes the identification and characterization of a new Cromer high incidence antigen, named SERF. Sequence analyses of DNA from a Thai female whose serum contained the alloantibody to a high incidence antigen in the Cromer blood group system (anti-SERF) and from her two children were performed. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and sequence analysis on cDNA from the proband and PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis on DNA from Thais were also performed. To map the epitope, DAF deletion mutants were tested by immunoblotting with anti-SERF. Sequence analysis revealed a substitution of 647C>T in exon 5 DAF in the proband. The proband's two children and two of 100 Thais were heterozygotes 647C/T. Analysis using DAF deletion mutants revealed the antigenic determinant to be within short consensus repeat 3 (SCR3), which is encoded by exon 5. This study describes a novel high incidence antigen (SERF) in the Cromer blood group system characterized by the amino acid proline at position 182 in SCR3 of DAF. The SERF-negative proband has a substitution mutation that predicts for leucine at this position. SERF has been provisionally assigned the International Society of Blood Transfusion number 021-012(CROM 12).