The following is a summary of “Blood Group A Enhances SARS-CoV-2 Infection,” published in the June 2023 issue of Hematology by Wu et al.
There is a correlation between certain ABO(H) blood group antigens and an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, but the exact mechanisms underlying this association are not yet known.
Researchers performed a retrospective study to compare the glycan binding specificity of the receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2, which enables interaction with host cells, to galectins, a primitive group of carbohydrate-binding proteins. Since ABO(H) blood group antigens consist of carbohydrates, they examined the notable similarity between the SARS-CoV-2 RBD and galectins. The receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2, including the Delta and Omicron variants, has a specific affinity for blood group A.
This was shown by the RBD’s ability to bind to blood group A in a glycan array format and by the SARS-CoV-2 virus’s preferential ability to infect cells that express blood group A. These blood cells pre-treated with a blood group binding galectin were less likely to be infected with SARS-CoV-2 than blood group A cells not pre-treated with the galectin.
The results of this study show that SARS-CoV-2 can bind to blood group A, which suggests a direct link between ABO(H) blood group expression and SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Source: ashpublications.org/blood/article/doi/10.1182/blood.2022018903/496471/Blood-Group-A-Enhances-SARS-CoV-2-Infection