A serious complication of blood transfusions is transfusion-related acute lung injury, which can be caused by antibodies in the donor blood that recognize and activate host neutrophils. Andreas Greinacher and his colleagues now determine the molecular identity of the antigen recognized by one of these antibodies, termed human neutrophil alloantigen-3a, as a variant of the choline transporter-like protein-2. This finding opens the door to systematic screening of blood donors and recipients.
- Andreas Greinacher
- Jan Wesche
- Jürgen Bux