@article {309488, title = {Molecular genetic basis of the histo-blood group ABO system.}, journal = {Nature}, volume = {345}, year = {1990}, month = {1990 May 17}, pages = {229-33}, abstract = {

The histo-blood group ABO, the major human alloantigen system, involves three carbohydrate antigens (ABH). A, B and AB individuals express glycosyltransferase activities converting the H antigen into A or B antigens, whereas O(H) individuals lack such activity. Here we present a molecular basis for the ABO genotypes. The A and B genes differ in a few single-base substitutions, changing four amino-acid residues that may cause differences in A and B transferase specificity. A critical single-base deletion was found in the O gene, which results in an entirely different, inactive protein incapable of modifying the H antigen.

}, keywords = {ABO Blood-Group System, Alleles, Amino Acid Sequence, Base Sequence, Carbohydrate Sequence, Cell Line, DNA, Gene Library, Genotype, Humans, Molecular Sequence Data, Polymorphism, Genetic}, issn = {0028-0836}, doi = {10.1038/345229a0}, author = {Yamamoto, F and Clausen, H and White, T and Marken, J and Hakomori, S} }