Human platelet alloantigens (HPA) are specific antigens carried by platelet glycoproteins, which genes showing single nucleotide polymorphism. HPA can induce alloantibodies bringing about alloimmune response. They play important roles in post-transfusion refractoriness to platelets, post-transfusion thrombocytopenic purpura, fetomaternal alloimmune thrombocytopenia, and graft-versus-host disease. Because of their side effects in clinical blood-transfusion, there were a great deal of studies on HPA during last few decades. This review focuses on the nomenclature of HPA, the polymorphisms of platelet glycoproteins, HPA typing of the serological and molecular technology, as well as the mechanism of alloimmunization to HPA and correlated diseases.
Antigens, Human Platelet ; classification ; immunology ; Humans ; Isoantibodies ; immunology ; Platelet Membrane Glycoproteins ; genetics ; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide ; Transfusion Reaction

This study was aimed to investigate the distribution and implication of tap1 (transporter associated with antigen processing) and tap2 loci allelic and genotypic frequencies. The distribution of tap1 and tap2 loci allelic and genotypic frequencies in 339 random samples of healthy Chinese Hans was analyzed by TaqMan PCR. Several genetic information about power of discrimination, cumulative DP, polymorphism information content, expected heterozygosity and observed heterozygosity were calculated. The results indicated that 5 tap1 alleles (tap1*0101, 020101, 020102, 0301 and 0401) and 4 tap2 alleles (tap2*0101, 0102, 0103 and 0201) were detected in all samples. 8 tap1 genotypes were found which account for 53.3% of the theoretic genotype and 6 tap2 genotypes were found which account for 60% of the theoretic genotype. The genotyping results of tap1 and tap2 both conform to the Hardy-Weinberg expectations (p > 0.05). Tap1*0101 (79.79%) and tap2*0101 (82.74%) are the most common alleles in Chinese Hans. It is concluded that tap1*0101 and tap2*0101 are most common alleles in Chinese Hans, tap1 and tap2 loci carry some power of individual discrimination and polymorphism information content. These two locl can be used for the research in the fields of human genetics, linkage analysis of genetic disease genes, paternity test and individual identification and so on.
ATP-Binding Cassette Sub-Family B Member 2 ; ATP-Binding Cassette Transporters ; genetics ; ATP-Binding Cassette, Sub-Family B, Member 3 ; Alleles ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Haplotypes ; Humans

OBJECTIVETo study the polymorphism of human platelet alloantigens HPA-3 and HPA-9w in the Chinese Han population.

METHODSA total of 1000 unrelated Chinese Han blood donors from different provinces of China were genotyped for HPA-3 and HPA-9w using PCR-sequence specific primer assay.

RESULTSGene frequencies of 1000 Chinese Hans for HPA-3a and HPA-3b were 0.5935 and 0.4065 respectively, and all of them were HPA-9a positive. The distributions of HPA-3, HPA-9w of Chinese Hans which detected by chi-square criterion fit Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. There were significant differences of the HPA-3 alleles gene frequency between Guangdong province and other five investigated provinces which included Shanxi, Heilongjiang, Zhejiang, Yunnan and Jiangsu. In comparison to other ethnic groups, no significant differences were observed in the distributions of HPA-3 except the Vietnamese and Australian.

CONCLUSIONThe results show that the chance of HPA-3 incompatibility were 0.3661 in random transfusion, and also provide a basis for researching on alloimmune thrombocytopenia and HPA-matched transfusion.

Alleles ; Antigens, Human Platelet ; genetics ; immunology ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; China ; ethnology ; DNA ; genetics ; Ethnic Groups ; genetics ; Gene Frequency ; Genotype ; Histocompatibility ; genetics ; Humans ; Polymorphism, Genetic

OBJECTIVEThis is a study on some ABO subgroup samples which show discordant results of serological and molecular blood typing, the aim is to clarify their true ABO type by means of nucleotide analysis on exons 6 and 7 of their ABO gene.

METHODSAbsorb-elution test and family investigation were conducted to study 7 samples which were involved in ABO grouping discrepancies. Duplex polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism(PCR-RFLP) method was used to identify their ABO genotypes. PCR products of exons 6 and 7 were cloned and sequenced.

RESULTSAll the 7 ABO subgroup samples with the discordant results of serological and molecular blood typing were found to have the normal O gene. Four out of them were typed as ABsub by serology, they were all of the A*102/O genotype. Sequencing analysis found all their A gene having the nt467 (C-->T) and nt803 (G-->C) mutation by comparison with the A*101 allele, i.e. their real type should be CisAB/O. Three out of 7 were typed as AsubB by serology and as BO by genotype; and point mutation was detected in all of their B gene. One of them had the nt700 (C-->G) mutation, the other 2 unrelated individuals had the novel nt640 (A-->G) mutation in their B alleles.

CONCLUSIONThrough nucleotide analysis, 7 samples have been typed as AB subgroup in serology with the normal O gene, their real ABO type being CisAB in 4 cases and B(A) in 3 cases. At the same time, a kind of novel B (A)640 allele has been uncovered in this study.

ABO Blood-Group System ; genetics ; Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; genetics ; Blood Grouping and Crossmatching ; China ; Female ; Genotype ; Humans ; Male ; Mutation ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Polymorphism, Restriction Fragment Length

Animals ; China ; epidemiology ; Disease Reservoirs ; Hepatitis E ; epidemiology ; transmission ; Hepatitis E virus ; genetics ; isolation & purification ; Humans ; Rodentia ; virology ; Swine ; virology

OBJECTIVETo study the outcome of hepatitis C virus (HCV) vertical transmitted infants.

METHODSThirteen HCV vertical infected infants were followed up for 10 years. HCV antibody and HCV RNA in the blood samples from them were tested using second generation HCV antibody EIA kits and RT-PCR, respectively.

RESULTSAmong the 13 infants, one developed clinical hepatitis C, and serum HCV antibody and HCV RNA could be detected for 7 and 8 years, respectively. Three were subclinical hepatitis C, serum HCV antibody continued to be positive for 12 months (2 infants) and 24 months (1 infant), respectively, and serum HCV RNA turned to be negative at the 24th month (2 infants) and the 60th month (1 infant), respectively. Nine were HCV insidious infection, whose serum HCV antibody and HCV RNA turned to be negative in 12 months. During the eight to ten years, there was no infants with anti-HCV or HCV RNA positive again.

CONCLUSIONSIt is rarely happened that vertical transmitted HCV induce chronic HCV carrying state and chronic viral hepatitis, and most of the infected infants have good outcome.

Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Hepatitis C ; transmission ; Hepatitis C Antibodies ; blood ; Humans ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical ; Pregnancy ; Time Factors

OBJECTIVETo investigate the prevalence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in China type 2 diabetic patients and to demonstrate the relationships between putative risk factors and PAD.

METHODSIn total 1,397 type 2 diabetic patients aged 50 years and older were enrolled and determined ankle-brachial index (ABI) and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) in 15 Class III Grade A hospitals in 7 major cities of China.

RESULTSMean patient age was 63.7 +/- 8.2 years and mean duration of diabetes mellitus was 9.39 +/- 7.4 years. Two hundreds and seventy-two (19.47%) patients were diagnosed as PAD by ABI < 0.9, 122 (18.37%) in male and 150 (20.46%) in female. PAD patients had a significantly longer duration of diabetes mellitus, higher hemoglobin A1c, and a significantly lower mean body mass index than non-PAD ones. Aging, smoking, and systolic blood pressure were found to be positively related with the prevalence of PAD. In terms of lipid profiles, no variable was found to relate with PAD. Notably, baPWV showed as the same significant guiding index for PAD, almost matched with ABI.

CONCLUSIONSPAD is a common complication in China type 2 diabetic patients. Therefore, PAD screening and treatment should be emphasized for diabetic patients with high risk factors.

Aged ; China ; epidemiology ; Diabetic Angiopathies ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Peripheral Vascular Diseases ; epidemiology ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Urban Population ; statistics & numerical data

OBJECTIVETo study the prevalence of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) and its high risk factors in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

METHODSFrom January 2003 to March 2005, a total number of 11,163 persons aged > or =14 years Zhuang minority living in Guangxi (from Guinan, Guizhong and Guibei) were surveyed. Questionnaire was administered to draw information. Polysomnography(PSG) and in-home polygraphy were performed on participants being studied and who had reported snoring.

RESULTSAmong all the surveyed people, 2940reported snoring with a prevalence of 27.3%. 448 (320 males and 128 females) people reported OSAHS with prevalence as 4.3% (5.9% in males and 2.5% in females). From 14 to 60 year olds, the prevalence of snoring and OSAHS increased with age. Among those above 60 years of age, both the prevalencerates ofsnoring and OSAHS werereduced with age. Among all the study population, 260 (21.6%) had habitual OSAHS a nd 188 (10.8%) hadoccasional OSAHS. The high risk factors of OSAHS were: position during sleep, disease of nose, drinking alcohol, smoking, gender, body mass index (BMI) and age.

CONCLUSIONThe prevalence rates of snoring and OSAHS were 27.3% and 4.3% respectively. From 14 to 60 years of age, the prevalence rates of snoring and OSAHS were increasing with age while from 60 years of age on, the prevalence of snoring and OSAHS reduced with age. The prevalence rates of snoring and OSAHS in males were higher than females. The high risk factors of OSAHS were position during sleep,disease of nose, drinking, smoking,gender, BMI and age.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; China ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Prevalence ; Risk Factors ; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive ; epidemiology ; Snoring ; epidemiology

OBJECTIVETo explore the toxicological mechanism of hydroquinone in human bronchial epithelial cells and to investigate whether DNA polymerase beta is involved in protecting cells from damage caused by hydroquinone.

METHODSDNA polymerase beta knock-down cell line was established via RNA interference as an experimental group. Normal human bronchial epithelial cells and cells transfected with the empty vector of pEGFP-C1 were used as controls. Cells were treated with different concentrations of hydroquinone (ranged from 10 micromol/L to 120 micromol/L) for 4 hours. MTT assay and Comet assay [single-cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE)] were performed respectively to detect the toxicity of hydroquinone.

RESULTSMTT assay showed that DNA polymerase beta knock-down cells treated with different concentrations of hydroquinone had a lower absorbance value at 490 nm than the control cells in a dose-dependant manner. Comet assay revealed that different concentrations of hydroquinone caused more severe DNA damage in DNA polymerase beta knock-down cell line than in control cells and there was no significant difference in the two control groups.

CONCLUSIONSHydroquinone has significant toxicity to human bronchial epithelial cells and causes DNA damage. DNA polymerase beta knock-down cell line appears more sensitive to hydroquinone than the control cells. The results suggest that DNA polymerase beta is involved in protecting cells from damage caused by hydroquinone.

Bronchi ; cytology ; drug effects ; Cells, Cultured ; Comet Assay ; Cytotoxins ; toxicity ; DNA Damage ; DNA Polymerase beta ; antagonists & inhibitors ; physiology ; Epithelial Cells ; cytology ; drug effects ; Humans ; Hydroquinones ; toxicity ; RNA Interference

Apolipoprotein AI (apo AI), the major protein component of human high-density lipoprotein (HDL), is a single-chain polypeptide of 243 amino acids. Several epidemiological studies have shown that the plasma concentrations of HDL has the role of reverse cholesterol transport (RCT) and inversely correlated with the incidence of coronary artery disease. Because apo AI lacks post-translational modifications, it is convenient to express human apo AI in Escherichia coli expression system. However, there is a poor stability of the mRNA and the apo AI protein in E. coli, it is difficult to express mature apo AI in recombinant bacteria, moreover, even as a fusion protein, apo AI is still sensitive to degradation and can not be cleaved efficiently from the fusion tags. In contrast, proapolipoprotein AI (proapo AI, having an additional polypeptide containing the amino acids Arg-His-Phe-Trp-Gln-Gln at the amino-teminal of the mature protein) proved stable and undegraded in Escherichia coli, and therefore, in this research, an expression system of E. coli including a plasmid of P(R)P(L) tandem promoter was adapted to produce proapo AI. Furthermore, site-directed mutagenesis of the proapo AI cDNA was performed to generate a Clu8Asp mutation in the amino-terminal sequence of proapo AI which created an acid labile Asp-Pro peptide bond between amino acid 8 and 9, and permitted specific chemical cleavage to remove pro-peptide. After inducing with a shift of temperature, yields of recombinant proapo AI achieved about 40% of total cell protein and the recombinant proapo AI expressed proved as a form of inclusion body in cells, so protein need to renature. First of all, the protein was dissolved in buffer with denaturant, and renaturation was carried out on a hydrophobic interaction column (Phenyl Sepharose), ion-exchange chromatography and gel-filtration chromatography were then used to further purify the protein. The purified recombinant apo AI was detected by a set of tests including Western-blotting, Circular dichroism spectra and lipid-binding test, the results shown that recombinant apo AI has similar structural and lipid-binding properties identical to those of native plasma apo AI, which facilitates further research and application.
Apolipoprotein A-I ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Chromatography, Ion Exchange ; methods ; Escherichia coli ; genetics ; metabolism ; Humans ; Mutagenesis, Site-Directed ; Mutation ; Protein Precursors ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; Recombinant Proteins ; biosynthesis ; genetics ; isolation & purification