Title:The MNS blood group system: a review

Author:Rei Miyamoto

Abstract:In transfusion science, blood group systems are one of the significant factors that must be considered throughout the donation and transfusion processes. One of these blood group systems is the MNS system, which was discovered second only to the ABO system, in 1927. The system is comprised of a large group of polymorphic, high-frequency and low-frequency antigens, which have formed from genetic recombination, unequal crossing over, gene conversion, and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Besides the genetic mechanisms, the phenotypic frequencies among population groups are interesting characteristics of this blood group system. The antigens are found on single pass sialoglycoproteins A and B on the red blood cell (RBC) membrane as well as the renal endothelium and epithelium. They are involved in many roles such as preventing RBC agglutination in blood vessels, complement regulation, transmembrane signalling, anion exchange, and binding cytokines. They are even thought to bind bacteria and malarial parasites, meaning that individuals with null phenotypes have resistance to some infectious diseases. The clinical significance of this blood group system in transfusion practice comes from the alloantibodies that can cause transfusion reactions or haemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN).
This review aims to provide an informative and critical summary of the MNS blood group system in the context of transfusion science.
Keywords: MNS blood group system, sialoglycoproteins, red blood cell, transfusion reactions.
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