Kell antigen system [SEP] found in taxon
Kell antigen system
The Kell antigen system (also known as Kell–Cellano system) is a group of antigens on the human red blood cell surface which are important determinants of blood type and are targets for autoimmune or alloimmune diseases which destroy red blood cells. Kell can be noted as K, k, or Kp. The Kell antigens are peptides found within the Kell protein, a 93-kilodalton transmembrane zinc-dependent endopeptidase which is responsible for cleaving endothelin-3.
Protein.
The "KEL" gene encodes a type II
History.
McLeod syndrome was discovered in 1961 and, as with the Kell antigen system, was named after the first patient in which it was found: Harvard dental student Hugh McLeod, whose red blood cells were observed to have weak expression of Kell system antigens during blood donation, and found to be acanthocytic (spiky) under the microscope.
The wives of King Henry VIII of England show a pattern of pregnancies and infant deaths, which with his mental deterioration suggest that the king may have been Kell positive and suffered