Augustine is a newly identified blood group system comprising four antigens, one of which is the high-frequency antigen Ata in the original "series". Four antigens are located on a multipass membrane glycoprotein equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (ENT1), and equilibrative nucleoside transporter is encoded by SLC29A1. In 2016, the International Society of Blood Transfusion (ISBT) recognised Augustine as a blood group system and numbered it as 036. The glycoprotein ENT1 transports nucleotides into cells to participate in the synthesis of DNA and RNA, and this is an important link for chemotherapeutic glycosides to enter tumour cells. Augustine antibodies are clinically relevant in blood transfusion and pregnancy.
Keywords: AUG; Amino acid sequence; Gene locus; HDN; Immunity mechanisms; Nucleoside transport; Oncology drug regulation.
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