RHD (gene)

Rh blood group, D antigen also known as Rh polypeptide 1 (RhPI) or cluster of differentiation 240D (CD240D) is a protein that in humans is encoded by the RHD gene.

The RHD gene codes for the RhD erythrocyte membrane protein that is the Rh factor antigen of the Rh blood group system. RHD has sequence similarity to RHCE, RhAG, RhBG, and RhCG and these five genes constitute the Rh family. It was proposed that the erythrocyte Rh complex is a heterotrimer of RhAG, RhD, and RhCE protein subunits. RhAG is a functional ammonia transporter and is required for normal cell surface expression of RhD and RhCE. Patients who lack RhD/RhCE/RhAG on the surface of their erythrocytes have hemolytic anemia . Antibodies to the RhD protein can cause Rh disease.

Model organisms

Rhd knockout mouse phenotype

Characteristic	Phenotype
Homozygote viability	Normal
Fertility	Normal
Body weight	Normal
Anxiety	Normal
Neurological assessment	Normal
Grip strength	Normal
Hot plate	Normal
Dysmorphology	Normal
Indirect calorimetry	Normal
Glucose tolerance test	Normal
Auditory brainstem response	Normal
DEXA	Normal
Radiography	Normal
Body temperature	Normal
Eye morphology	Normal
Clinical chemistry	Normal
Haematology	Abnormal
Peripheral blood lymphocytes	Normal
Micronucleus test	Normal
Heart weight	Normal
Skin Histopathology	Normal
Brain histopathology	Normal
Eye Histopathology	Normal
Salmonella infection	Normal
Citrobacter infection	Normal
All tests and analysis from

Model organisms have been used in the study of RHD function. A conditional knockout mouse line, called Rhd^{tm1a(EUCOMM)Wtsi} was generated as part of the International Knockout Mouse Consortium program — a high-throughput mutagenesis project to generate and distribute animal models of disease to interested scientists.

Male and female animals underwent a standardized phenotypic screen to determine the effects of deletion. Twenty five tests were carried out on mutant mice and one significant abnormality was observed: homozygous mutant males had a decrease in mean corpuscular haemoglobin.