Title |
The ABO blood group is a trans-species polymorphism in primates
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Published in |
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, September 2012
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DOI | 10.1073/pnas.1210603109 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Laure Ségurel, Emma E. Thompson, Timothée Flutre, Jessica Lovstad, Aarti Venkat, Susan W. Margulis, Jill Moyse, Steve Ross, Kathryn Gamble, Guy Sella, Carole Ober, Molly Przeworski |
Abstract |
The ABO histo-blood group, the critical determinant of transfusion incompatibility, was the first genetic polymorphism discovered in humans. Remarkably, ABO antigens are also polymorphic in many other primates, with the same two amino acid changes responsible for A and B specificity in all species sequenced to date. Whether this recurrence of A and B antigens is the result of an ancient polymorphism maintained across species or due to numerous, more recent instances of convergent evolution has been debated for decades, with a current consensus in support of convergent evolution. We show instead that genetic variation data in humans and gibbons as well as in Old World monkeys are inconsistent with a model of convergent evolution and support the hypothesis of an ancient, multiallelic polymorphism of which some alleles are shared by descent among species. These results demonstrate that the A and B blood groups result from a trans-species polymorphism among distantly related species and has remained under balancing selection for tens of millions of years-to date, the only such example in hominoids and Old World monkeys outside of the major histocompatibility complex. |
X Demographics
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Japan | 8 | 10% |
United Kingdom | 7 | 8% |
India | 1 | 1% |
Germany | 1 | 1% |
Ecuador | 1 | 1% |
Norway | 1 | 1% |
France | 1 | 1% |
South Africa | 1 | 1% |
Other | 7 | 8% |
Unknown | 45 | 54% |
Demographic breakdown
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Scientists | 28 | 33% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 1 | 1% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom | 4 | 2% |
United States | 2 | 1% |
Germany | 1 | <1% |
Canada | 1 | <1% |
Brazil | 1 | <1% |
Spain | 1 | <1% |
Thailand | 1 | <1% |
Unknown | 158 | 93% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
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Student > Ph. D. Student | 40 | 24% |
Researcher | 23 | 14% |
Student > Bachelor | 19 | 11% |
Student > Master | 17 | 10% |
Professor > Associate Professor | 12 | 7% |
Other | 35 | 21% |
Unknown | 23 | 14% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
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Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 24 | 14% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 11 | 7% |
Immunology and Microbiology | 4 | 2% |
Mathematics | 2 | 1% |
Other | 18 | 11% |
Unknown | 24 | 14% |