ABO genotyping—identification of O¹, O^1*, and O² alleles using the polymerase chain reaction–sequence specific oligonucleotide (PCR-SSO) technique

ABO polymorphism at the gene level has been investigated by molecular methods, predominantly sequencing and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). We describe the application of the polymerase chain reaction–sequence specific oligonucleotide (PCR-SSO) method, which is considered to be more versatile for large sample numbers, compared with conventional ABO genotyping by PCR-RFLP. PCR-SSO, while maintaining accurate and reliable results, reduces costs and labor. A population of 155 random individuals was investigated for the three O alleles, O¹, O^1*, and O². The allelic frequencies were 35 percent, 26 percent, and 5 percent, respectively. PCR-SSO results correlated completely with both serologic and PCR-RFLP results.