Blood type biochemistry and human disease

Abstract

Associations between blood type and disease have been studied since the early 1900s when researchers determined that antibodies and antigens are inherited. In the 1950s, the chemical identification of the carbohydrate structure of surface antigens led to the understanding of biosynthetic pathways. The blood type is defined by oligosaccharide structures, which are specific to the antigens, thus, blood group antigens are secondary gene products, while the primary gene products are various glycosyltransferase enzymes that attach the sugar molecules to the oligosaccharide chain. Blood group antigens are found on red blood cells, platelets, leukocytes, plasma proteins, certain tissues, and various cell surface enzymes, and also exist in soluble form in body secretions such as breast milk, seminal fluid, saliva, sweat, gastric secretions, urine, and amniotic fluid. Recent advances in technology, biochemistry, and genetics have clarified the functional classifications of human blood group antigens, the structure of the A, B, H, and Lewis determinants and the enzymes that produce them, and the association of blood group antigens with disease risks. Further research to identify differences in the biochemical composition of blood group antigens, and the relationship to risks for disease, can be important for the identification of targets for the development of nutritional intervention strategies, or the identification of druggable targets.

Position of human blood group O(H) and phenotype‐determining enzymes in growth and infectious disease

“…According to current reviews, 89,90,92 the number of patients with blood type O(H), which apparently develop H. pylori infections more frequently, does not differ statistically significantly from that in which the ABO blood type does not play any role when compared by culture results. Rossez et al 93 have characterized the glycosylation pattern of gastric mucins and showed that about 80% of O-glycans carried A, B, or H antigens and 30-50% expressed H and/or Le b epitopes, which was most pronounced in blood group O individuals, whereas Boren et al 94 have shown by thin-layer chromatography that H. pylori predominantly recognize Le b and H-active structures.…”

“…The species‐independent ABO gene polymorphism has been extensively analyzed in primates, but an understanding of the ramifications of this polymorphism has been elusive . While the pronounced susceptibility of blood group A individuals to the infection by the eukaryote P. falciparum appears to be established and is explainable molecularly through different models, reports describing the susceptibility of different ABO(H) blood groups to prokaryotic, viral and bacterial infections are more controversial . Although the phenomenon of pathogen mimicry is known for decades, there are few examples by which the complementarity between the phenotype‐determining enzymes of the host and the acceptor of the pathogen becomes molecularly evident.…”

“…87 While the pronounced susceptibility of blood group A individuals to the infection by the eukaryote P. falciparum appears to be established and is explainable molecularly through different models, reports describing the susceptibility of different ABO(H) blood groups to prokaryotic, viral and bacterial infections are more controversial. [88][89][90] Although the phenomenon of pathogen mimicry is known for decades, there are few examples by which the complementarity between the phenotype-determining enzymes of the host and the acceptor of the pathogen becomes molecularly evident. Focusing on the blood group O and its discussed susceptibility to infection by Helicobacter pylori and special strains of Vibrio cholerae reveals that the genetic, metabolic, and immunological relationships between host and pathogen are much more complex than those between the non-O-blood groups and the eukaryotic parasite P. falciparum or the malaria tropica disease.…”

Unknown aspects of the relationship between ABO blood group system and preterm morbidities

“…Blood types were discovered in the early 1900s, and it was confirmed with the ABO blood group classification that blood antibodies and antigens are inheritable features. 6 The antigens of the ABO blood group system (referred to as A, B, and H) are complex carbohydrate molecules located on the erythrocyte cell surface. They are also highly expressed on the surface of various human cells and tissues including the epithelium, sensory neurons, platelets, and vascular endothelium.…”

“…Blood groups have been shown to play an important role in the development of cardiovascular, infectious, oncologic, endocrine, rheumatologic, and other diseases in various studies conducted in adults. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19] The effect of blood group on neonatal conditions, especially preterm morbidities, has yet to be determined. The presence of blood group antigen on many cell surfaces may be related to the morbidity in premature infants.…”