Para-Bombay: A blind spot in blood grouping?

Molecular basis for H blood group deficiency in Bombay (Oh) and para-Bombay individuals.

The penultimate step in the biosynthesis of the human ABO blood group oligosaccharide antigens is catalyzed by alpha-(1,2)-fucosyltransferase(s) (GDP-L-fucose: beta-D-galactoside 2-alpha-L-fucosyltransferase, EC 2.4.1.69), whose expression is determined by the H and Secretor (SE) blood group loci (also known as FUT1 and FUT2, respectively). These enzymes construct Fuc alpha 1-->2Gal beta-linkag...

Discrepancy in ABO Blood Grouping in a Blood Donor: A Case Report

Detection of ABO blood groups through agglutination is the basis of pre-transfusion testing. However, weak agglutination reactions may be obtained with reagent antibodies and are a result of weak expression of A and B antigens on red blood cell surface which may cause a discrepancy in blood group typing. Here, we report a donor which showed discrepancy between red blood cells (forward) and seru...

A blind spot tester.

Blind Spot

In monocular viewing there is a region in the peripheral visual field that is blind due to the absence of photoreceptors at the site where the optic nerve exits the eye. This region, like certain other blind spots, nonetheless appears filled in (Walls 1954). Ramachandran (1992a,b) has recently reported several novel demonstrations of filling-in at the blind spot. In this essay we critically ree...

Mitochondrial DNA: A Blind Spot in Neuroepigenetics.

Neuroepigenetics, which includes nuclear DNA modifications such as 5-methylcytosine and 5-hydoxymethylcytosine and modifications of nuclear proteins such as histones, is emerging as the leading field in molecular neuroscience. Historically, a functional role for epigenetic mechanisms, including in neuroepigenetics, has been sought in the area of the regulation of nuclear transcription. However,...