Submitted December 19, 2008
Accepted June 9, 2009
Miltenberger blood group antigen type III (Mi.III) enhances the expression of band 3
Kate Hsu*, Naiwen Chi, Marjan Gucek, Jennifer E. Van Eyk, Robert N. Cole, Marie Lin, and D. Brian Foster
Mackay Memorial Hospital Transfusion Medicine Laboratory, Tamsui, Taiwan
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
* Corresponding author; email: khsu1{at}ms1.mmh.org.tw.
The special blood group antigen Mi.III exhibits a characteristic hybrid structure of glycophorin A (GPA) and glycophorin B (GPB), termed Gp.Mur. This phenotype has exceptionally high occurrence rates in several indigenous tribes in Taiwan (21.2~88.4%). Since glycophorin/Miltenberger begins interaction with AE1 in the endoplasmic reticulum, we hypothesized that the AE1-based macrocomplexes on erythrocyte membranes obtained from Mi.III+ individuals could be differentiated from those obtained from non-Miltenberger individuals. Quantitative mass spectrometric comparison of the AE1-based complexes by iTRAQ revealed 25-67% higher expression of AE1 in Mi.III+ erythrocytes. In accordance with the higher AE1 level, the Mi.III+ erythrocytes exhibited superior HCO3- capacities, pH homeostasis, and osmotic resistance. Cotransfection experiments in HEK293 cells showed that Gp.Mur, like GPA, enhanced trafficking of AE1 to the plasma membrane. In summary, the increased surface expression of AE1 in Mi.III+ erythrocytes could be attributed to the additive effect of GPA and Gp.Mur coexpression.
