Identification of a novel RHD*01W allele with c.175G>T on the RHD*weak partial 15 allele background

The Rh blood group system is encoded by two highly homologous genes, RHD and RHCE, which give rise to five major antigens: D, C, E, c, and e. 1 Among these, the D antigen holds particular clinical significance in transfusion medicine owing to its high degree of polymorphism and strong immunogenicity.In addition to the common D-positive and D-negative phenotypes, the D antigen exhibits several variant forms, including weak D, partial D, and Del phenotypes.The molecular mechanisms leading to these D variants primarily involve missense mutations, insertions, deletions in the RHD gene, or the formation of hybrid RHD-CE-D alleles. 2 This study reports the identification of a novel RHD01 W allele carrying the c.175G>T variant on the RHD*weak partial 15 allele background, identified in a Chinese blood donor.