ABO Antigens in Red Cells and Digestive Organs of Non-human Primates

Abstract

Blood group A, B and H antigens on red cells of non-human primates were examined by direct hemagglutination reaction, antibody absorption and heat elution tests. ABH substances on red cells from prosimians, New World and Old World monkeys were detected only by elution test with human anti-A, anti-B and chicken immune anti-H antibodies and their activities were

Emergence of an erythroid cell-specific regulatory region in ABO intron 1 attributable to A- or B-antigen expression on erythrocytes in Hominoidea

“…1 B). The + 5.8-kb site is conserved among human, chimpanzee, gorilla, and gibbon, showing similar expression of A- and B-antigens on RBCs 13 , whereas it is not conserved in monkeys such as crab-eating macaque, rhesus macaque and marmoset, in which the A- and B-antigens are expressed only slightly on RBCs. On the other hand, the + 22.6-kb site is conserved among humans and those primate species.…”

“…Similar reduced reactivity of RBCs with anti-A or anti-B antibody is observed in non-human primates. Studies using routine anti-A and anti-B reagents have shown that agglutination of RBCs in apes such as chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, and gibbons is similar to that of human subgroups such as A int or B int 13 , 14 . A int erythrocytes have lower amounts of A-antigen than A 1 erythrocytes and higher amounts than A 2 erythrocytes.…”

“…The B int is comparable to A int 15 , 16 . On the other hand, similar tests have shown that the RBCs of prosimians, New World monkeys and Old World monkeys appear to lack A- or B-antigens, although trace amounts have been demonstrated using very sensitive absorption-elution techniques or very potent anti-A or anti-B reagents 13 , 14 , 17 . Nakajima et al have concluded that expression of H-antigen on RBCs has not completely developed in monkeys, because eluates from such RBCs obtained by absorption-elution tests with anti-H reagent were found to weakly agglutinate group O-RBCs 14 .…”