Expression analysis of human Rhesus blood group antigens by gene transduction into erythroid and non-erythroid cells.

Rh blood group antigens are associated with non-glycosylated human erythrocyte membrane proteins encoded by two closely related genes, RHCE and RHD, and with a glycoprotein, a critical co-expressing factor encoded by the RH50 gene. The sequence analysis of RHCE transcripts has revealed that RhE/e and C/c serological phenotypes are associated with a nucleotide substitution in exon 5 and six substitutions in exons 1 and 2 of RHCE gene, respectively. Smythe et al. have shown that the full length transcript of RhcE gene expressed c and E antigens and the transcript of RhD gene expressed D and G antigens, using retroviral-mediated gene transduction into K562 cells. We performed an epitope analysis of Rh antigen by constructing retroviral gene coding six RH cDNAs, which contain RhcE, ce, CE and D cDNAs, and CE-D, D-CE chimera cDNAs. The cDNAs were introduced into KU812E cells and the expressed antigens were analyzed by flow cytometry. These studies revealed that the C/c and E/e associated substitutions actually participated in respective polymorphic epitopes. However, the C antigen was not detected on the KU812E cells introduced with CE cDNA, despite E antigen being expressed. The study with the chimera gene between CE and D cDNAs also indicated that the Rh epitopes were not constructed with short polymorphic exofacial peptide loops only but also with other peptide fragments and membrane components. Co-expression studies of Rh50 and RhD or cE gene in non-erythroid cells, 293, and expression studies of Rh50 in another erythroid cell, HEL, did not show any Rh antigens on the transduced cells, despite the Northern blot study showing both transcripts in the cells. It was suggested that at least a second co-expressing factor was needed to express RhCE or D antigens on the plasma membrane.