The Red Cell Antigen JAL in the Swiss Population: Family Studies Showing That JAL Is an Rh Antigen (RH48)

Abstract

The JAL antigen was found to have an overall frequency of 0.004% in the Swiss population and 0.06% in French-speaking Swiss. Family studies of 5 JAL+ individuals have shown that the JAL antigen is not part of the ABO, MNSs, Fy, Jk and Co blood group systems, or the Se system, nor is it X- or Y-linked. JAL is encoded by the RH locus or by a very closely linked locus. The number RH48 (4.48) has been assigned for JAL by the International Society of Blood Transfusion Working Party on Terminology for Red Cell Surface Antigens.

Molecular basis of the LOCR (Rh55) antigen

“…The list of antigens that fall into this group include C w (Rh8), C x (Rh9), E w (Rh11), D w (Rh23), Go a (Rh30), Rh32, Rh33, Rh35, Be a (Rh36), Evans (Rh37), Tar (Rh40), JAL (Rh48), FPTT (Rh50), BARC (Rh52), JAHK (Rh53), DAK (Rh54), and LOCR (Rh55). [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] Our interest in, and investigations of, the final member of this group, LOCR, began with serologic studies that documented weakened expression of primarily the c (Rh2) antigen, but also in one case, the e (Rh5) antigen. 18 Further investigations on families segregating for LOCR with haplotype and linkage analysis 19 formalized this association and facilitated the assignment of LOCR to the Rh blood group system.…”

A Low-Incidence Red Cell Antigen JAL Associated with Two Unusual Rh Gene Complexes

“…The Rh phenotypes of JAL+ donors and of members of their families and of the Pas family were stud ied to elucidate the relationship of JAL to Rh. Family studies of Swiss JAL+ donors, reported in an accompany ing paper [6], show that JAL is indeed an Rh antigen encoded by a Ce complex in Whites. The apparent associ ation of JAL antigen with ce in Blacks described herein shows that JAL is encoded by two different Rh complexes.…”

Rh and RHAG Blood Group Systems

“…It is apparently identical to the previously described RHCE * CeMA , though red cells were not tested with anti -JAL [429] . RHCE * CeJAL (identifi ed serologically) has a frequency of 0.0003 in French -speaking Swiss; no JAL + individual was found among more than 50 000 German -speaking Swiss [446] .…”