Blood group antigens: molecules seeking a function?

The blood group antigens have been dismissed by some researchers as merely 'icing on the cake' of glycoprotein structures. The fact that there are no lethal mutations and individuals have been described lacking ABO, H and Lewis antigens seems to lend weight to the argument. This paper revi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Glycoconjugate journal 1997-02, Vol.14 (2), p.159-173
Main Author: Greenwell, P
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
ABO Blood-Group System - chemistry
ABO Blood-Group System - genetics
ABO system
Antigens
Blood
Blood Group Antigens - chemistry
Blood Group Antigens - genetics
Carbohydrate Sequence
Communicable Diseases - blood
Forecasting
Glycosyltransferases - genetics
Glycosyltransferases - metabolism
Humans
Lewis antigens
Lewis Blood-Group System - chemistry
Lewis Blood-Group System - genetics
Molecular Sequence Data
Neoplasms - blood
Proteins - metabolism
Studies
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Summary:The blood group antigens have been dismissed by some researchers as merely 'icing on the cake' of glycoprotein structures. The fact that there are no lethal mutations and individuals have been described lacking ABO, H and Lewis antigens seems to lend weight to the argument. This paper reviews the research which suggests that these antigens do indeed have function and argues that blood group antigens play important roles in modulation of protein activity, infection and cancer. It explores the evidence and poses questions as to the relevance and implications of the results.
ISSN:0282-0080
1573-4986
DOI:10.1023/A:1018581503164