A new method for ABO genotyping to avoid discrepancy between genetic and serological determinations

Pleiotropic effect of common variants at ABO Glycosyltranferase locus in 9q32 on plasma levels of pancreatic lipase and angiotensin converting enzyme

For forty-three clinical test values presumably associated to common complex human diseases, we carried out a genome-wide association study using 600K SNPs in a general Japanese population of 1,639 individuals (1,252 after quality control procedures) drawn from a regional cohort, followed by a replication study for statistically significant SNPs (p = 1.95×10⁻⁹–8.34×10⁻³⁹) using an independent population of 1,671 from another cohort. In this single two-stage study, we newly found strong and robust associations of common variants at the ABO histo-blood glycosyltransferase locus in 9q32 with the plasma levels of pancreatic lipase (P-LIP), in addition to successful confirmation of the known ABO association of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) independent of the ACE1 gene in 17q23.2 with the ACE level. Our results are compatible with the previously reported association between the ABO gene and pancreatic cancer, and show that the effect of these common variants at the ABO locus on the P-LIP and ACE levels is largely opposing and pleiotropic.

Common genetic factors for hematological traits in humans

Hematological traits are essential biomedical indicators that are widely used in clinical practice. The elucidation of the etiology that determines an individual's hematological traits would have a substantial impact. Hematological traits are known to be heritable, and it has been suggested that genetic factors contribute significantly to the inter-individual variance of these traits. Here, we review our current knowledge regarding the genetic architecture of hematological traits in humans, most of which has been obtained through recent developments in genome-wide association studies (GWAS). In addition to current knowledge, which is based on the hematological traits of the three major blood-cell lineages (white blood cells; WBC, red blood cells; RBC, and platelets; PLT), we propose future approaches that would be useful as a next step in the post-GWAS era.

A new method for human ABO genotyping using a universal reporter primer system

We developed a new method for forensic ABO genotyping based on a universal reporter primer (URP) system. This allows for the simultaneous detection of six single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sites in the ABO gene (nucleotide positions 261, 297, 526, 703, 796, and 803). This URP system provides obvious peaks, ranging from 82 to 151 bp in length. ABO genotypes were classified and successfully genotyped by our method, including minor alleles that may cause a discrepancy between the genetic data and serological phenotypes. Full profiles were identified using as little as 0.1 ng (0.05 ng ⁄ reaction) of standard K562 and 9947A DNA. Moreover, the success rate of genotyping from a URP system was much higher than that from a conventional primer extension method in degraded DNA. This method enables simple and rapid detection of multiple SNP sites on human ABO genes and is highly specific and sensitive when using limited and degraded DNA.