Go to The Journal of Clinical Investigation
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Transfers
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
  • Physician-Scientist Development
  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • By specialty
    • COVID-19
    • Cardiology
    • Immunology
    • Metabolism
    • Nephrology
    • Oncology
    • Pulmonology
    • All ...
  • Videos
  • Collections
    • In-Press Preview
    • Resource and Technical Advances
    • Clinical Research and Public Health
    • Research Letters
    • Editorials
    • Perspectives
    • Physician-Scientist Development
    • Reviews
    • Top read articles

  • Current issue
  • Past issues
  • Specialties
  • In-Press Preview
  • Resource and Technical Advances
  • Clinical Research and Public Health
  • Research Letters
  • Editorials
  • Perspectives
  • Physician-Scientist Development
  • Reviews
  • Top read articles
  • About
  • Editors
  • Consulting Editors
  • For authors
  • Publication ethics
  • Publication alerts by email
  • Transfers
  • Advertising
  • Job board
  • Contact
Donor genetics and storage conditions influence mitochondrial DNA and extracellular vesicle levels in RBC units
Xutao Deng, … , Philip J. Norris, for the Recipient Epidemiology and Donor Evaluation Study-IV-Pediatric (REDS-IV-P)
Xutao Deng, … , Philip J. Norris, for the Recipient Epidemiology and Donor Evaluation Study-IV-Pediatric (REDS-IV-P)
Published June 10, 2025
Citation Information: JCI Insight. 2025;10(14):e187792. https://doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.187792.
View: Text | PDF
Clinical Research and Public Health Cell biology Hematology Article has an altmetric score of 3

Donor genetics and storage conditions influence mitochondrial DNA and extracellular vesicle levels in RBC units

  • Text
  • PDF
Abstract

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) shares characteristics with bacterial DNA and activates immune cells via TLR9 Extracellular vesicles (EVs) and mtDNA have been found in blood products and can activate immune cells; we sought to characterize their evolution in stored blood products. From a previous study of hemolysis in 13,403 blood donors, a second blood unit was drawn from 651 donors and sampled at days 10, 21, and 42. EV counts and RBC-EVs increased with storage time, and EV levels were higher in males and in RBC units processed in AS-1 compared with AS-3. mtDNA levels were higher in females and RBC units processed in AS-3. EV populations and mtDNA levels were highly correlated within donors for 98 donations obtained 2–12 months apart. Quantitative trait locus analysis revealed several genetic associations, most notably linking mtDNA levels with polymorphisms in ANKLE1, which encodes an erythroid-specific protein that preferentially cleaves mtDNA. These data suggest that donor-intrinsic factors may influence mtDNA and EV levels found in RBC units. This finding lends impetus to determining if genetic or environmental factors control levels of these immune mediators in blood donors.

Authors

Xutao Deng, Clara Di Germanio, Erika G. Marques de Menezes, Pamela Milani, Mars Stone, Heather Tanner, Sonia Coco Bakkour, Daniel M. Chafets, Sarah E. Reese, Nareg H. Roubinian, Steven Kleinman, Tamir Kanias, Michael P. Busch, Eric J. Earley, Grier P. Page, Travis Nemkov, Angelo D’Alessandro, Philip J. Norris, for the Recipient Epidemiology and Donor Evaluation Study-IV-Pediatric (REDS-IV-P)

×

Full Text PDF

Download PDF (1.13 MB) | Download high-resolution PDF (7.46 MB)

Copyright © 2025 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN 2379-3708

Sign up for email alerts

Posted by 2 X users
Referenced by 2 Bluesky users
1 readers on Mendeley
See more details