title: High-throughput strategy for molecular identification of Vel- blood donors employing nucleic acids extracted from plasma pools used for viral nucleic acid test screening.
abstract: Serologic methods to determine the Vel- phenotype require the use of rare human antisera and do not allow for many samples to be tested simultaneously, which limits their application as a tool to search for rare donors. This study developed a low-cost molecular screening strategy using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and DNA, extracted from plasma pools for viral nucleic acid test (NAT) screening, to identify Vel- and Vel+(W) donors.
  
  
  
  A total of 4680 blood donors from the Brazilian southeast region were genotyped through real-time PCR targeting the 17-nucleotide (c.64_80del) deletion in the SMIM1 gene, which determines the Vel- phenotype, by using remaining nucleic acid from plasma pools of six donors, routinely discarded after the release of viral NAT results.
  
  
  
  Twenty pools tested reactive and individual testing of samples from reactive pools identified 19 heterozygous donors with the SMIM1*64_80del deletion (0.40%) and one homozygous donor (0.02%). Fourteen of the 19 donors were confirmed as Vel- or Vel+(W) using anti-Vel human antiserum.
  
  
  
  The DNA pool genotyping strategy using real-time PCR designed to detect the deletion in the SMIM1 gene proved effective and accurate in identifying donors with the Vel- and Vel+(W) phenotypes. The fact that remaining nucleic acid from routine viral NAT screening was used makes this technique economically attractive and definitely superior to the serologic techniques available to search for this rare phenotype.
authors.affiliation: Fundação Pró-Sangue/Hemocentro de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcia R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Dezan
authors.affiliation: Fundação Pró-Sangue/Hemocentro de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carla L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Dinardo
authors.affiliation: Fundação Pró-Sangue/Hemocentro de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Silvia R A
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Bosi
authors.affiliation: Fundação Pró-Sangue/Hemocentro de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sileni
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vega
authors.affiliation: Fundação Pró-Sangue/Hemocentro de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Nanci A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Salles
authors.affiliation: Fundação Pró-Sangue/Hemocentro de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mendrone-Júnior
authors.affiliation: Fundação Pró-Sangue/Hemocentro de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
authors.forename: José E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Levi
mesh_terms: D001782:Blood Donors / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D001789:Blood Group Antigens / Q000235:genetics*; D001938:Brazil; D057166:High-Throughput Screening Assays / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D021141:Nucleic Acid Amplification Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D017384:Sequence Deletion
chemical_list: D001789:Blood Group Antigens; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C584052:SMIM1 protein, human