Four main species of sialic acid-rich glycoproteins known as glycophorins A, B, C, and D have been characterized on human erythrocytes. These components carry blood group determinants and various receptors for lectins, bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Glycophorin C (GPC) is the minor constituent carrying the Gerbich blood group antigens which plays significant role in the maintenance of erythrocyte shape by regulating the deformability and mechanical stability of red cells. The protein is a single polypeptide chain of 128aa spanning the phospholipid bilayer. The gene encoding for glycophorin C is mapped on 2q14-q21 region of human chromosome organized in four exons over 13.5kb pair DNA and contains two internal direct repeated domains of 3.4kb which are likely to derive from a recent duplication. Glycophorin C has very little homology with glycophorin A and B.