title: Determinants of ABH expression on human blood platelets.
abstract: Platelets express ABH antigens, which can adversely effect platelet transfusion recovery and survival in ABH-incompatible recipients. To date, there has been no large, comprehensive study comparing specific donor factors with ABH expression on platelet membranes and glycoconjugates. We studied ABH expression in 166 group A apheresis platelet donors by flow cytometry, Western blotting, and thin layer chromatography relative to donor age, sex, A1/A2 subgroup, and Lewis phenotype. Overall, A antigen on platelet membranes, glycoproteins, and glycosphingolipids was linked to an A1 red blood cell (RBC) phenotype. Among A1 donors, platelet ABH varied significantly between donors (0%-87%). Intradonor variability, however, was minimal, suggesting that platelet ABH expression is a stable, donor-specific characteristic, with 5% of A1 donors typing as either ABH high- or low-expressers. Group A2 donors, in contrast, possessed a Bombay-like phenotype, lacking both A and H antigens. Unlike RBCs, ABH expression on platelets may be determined primarily by H-glycosyltransferase (FUT1) activity. Identification of A2 and A1 low expressers may increase the availability and selection of crossmatched and HLA-matched platelets. Platelets from group A2 may also be a superior product for patients undergoing A/O major mismatch allogeneic progenitor cell transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. lcooling@med.umich.edu
authors.forename: Laura L W
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Cooling
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Barton
authors.forename: Debbie
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Theodore A W
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Koerner
authors.forename: John D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Olson
mesh_terms: D000017:ABO Blood-Group System / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001781:Blood Component Removal; D001788:Blood Grouping and Crossmatching; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007983:Lewis Blood Group Antigens / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D010980:Platelet Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D017713:Platelet Transfusion; D014019:Tissue Donors
chemical_list: D000017:ABO Blood-Group System; D007983:Lewis Blood Group Antigens; D010980:Platelet Membrane Glycoproteins