Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center

About: Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center is a based out in . It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Allele. The organization has 6297 authors who have published 6917 publications receiving 198369 citations.

Distribution of ABO blood group allele and identification of three novel alleles in the Chinese Han population.

Abstract: Background The ABO blood group system is clinically important in blood transfusion. The molecular characterization of ABO blood group has clinical and anthropological importance. Here, we determined the ABO alleles distribution and identified three novel alleles in the Chinese Han population. Study Design and Methods Four hundred and seventeen Chinese Han individuals were determined by standard serologic techniques for the ABO blood group phenotypes. The ABO genotypes and alleles were analysed by polymerase chain reaction sequence-based typing (PCR-SBT) for sequencing exon 6 to 7 of the ABO gene. The polymorphisms of intron 5 and 6 of the ABO gene were also analysed by PCR-SBT. The two haplotypes including new alleles were separated by a Dynabeads M-270 Streptavidin protocol. Results All ABO genotypes of the samples were consistent with the phenotypes. Fourteen alleles were identified based on the nucleotide sequences of exon 6 and 7, with five common alleles (A101, A102, B101, O01 and O02), six known rare alleles (A205, B110, O04, O05, O07 and O50) and three novel alleles (B112, CisAB06 and 061). The three new alleles appeared with the frequencies of 0·12%, 0·12% and 0·36%, respectively. Conclusion The detailed frequencies distribution of ABO alleles was studied in the Chinese Han population. We identified 14 alleles, including 3 novel alleles.

Shaping of infant B cell receptor repertoires by environmental factors and infectious disease

Abstract: Antigenic exposures at epithelial sites in infancy and early childhood are thought to influence the maturation of humoral immunity and modulate the risk of developing immunoglobulin E (IgE)-mediated allergic disease. How different kinds of environmental exposures influence B cell isotype switching to IgE, IgG, or IgA, and the somatic mutation maturation of these antibody pools, is not fully understood. We sequenced antibody repertoires in longitudinal blood samples in a birth cohort from infancy through the first 3 years of life and found that, whereas IgG and IgA show linear increases in mutational maturation with age, IgM and IgD mutations are more closely tied to pathogen exposure. IgE mutation frequencies are primarily increased in children with impaired skin barrier conditions such as eczema, suggesting that IgE affinity maturation could provide a mechanistic link between epithelial barrier failure and allergy development.

mTORC1 and mTORC2 differentially promote natural killer cell development.

Abstract: Natural killer (NK) cells are innate lymphoid cells that are essential for innate and adaptive immunity. Mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) is critical for NK cell development; however, the independent roles of mTORC1 or mTORC2 in regulating this process remain unknown. Ncr1iCre-mediated deletion of Rptor or Rictor in mice results in altered homeostatic NK cellularity and impaired development at distinct stages. The transition from the CD27+CD11b- to the CD27+CD11b+ stage is impaired in Rptor cKO mice, while, the terminal maturation from the CD27+CD11b+ to the CD27-CD11b+ stage is compromised in Rictor cKO mice. Mechanistically, Raptor-deficiency renders substantial alteration of the gene expression profile including transcription factors governing early NK cell development. Comparatively, loss of Rictor causes more restricted transcriptome changes. The reduced expression of T-bet correlates with the terminal maturation defects and results from impaired mTORC2-AktS473-FoxO1 signaling. Collectively, our results reveal the divergent roles of mTORC1 and mTORC2 in NK cell development.