Blood Group Antigens in Relation to Chemical and Structural Properties of the Red Cell Membrane

Abstract

(1) The composition of red-cell-lipids and -proteins has been reviewed with special regard to recent data on the chemistry and physico-chemistry of membrane proteins. (2) A new concept for the architecture of the cell-membrane is proposed, which takes into account several possibilities for conformational arrangements of membrane proteins. (3) Red-cell-membrane lipids and -proteins have been discussed with regard to their possible functions as carriers of blood group activity. AB-specificity could be demonstrated not only in glycolipids but in the erythrocyte membrane proteins as well.

Effect of galactose oxidase, with and without prior sialidase treatment, on the viability of erythrocytes in circulation.

“…Tissue solubilizer (0.5 ml) was added to each sample and the mixtures were incubated overnight at 500. To each sample, 9 ml of counting fluid (8.4 g of 2,5-diphenyloxazole, 0.21 g of 1,4-bis[2(5-phenyloxazolyl)]benzene in 2.1 liters of toluene and 1.8 liters of Triton X-100) was added and the radioactivity of the samples was determined.…”

“…While, in general, galactose has been identified as the sugar penultimate to sialic acid in plasma glycoproteins, that role has also been ascribed to N-acetyl-D-galactosamine in both erythrocyte glycoproteins and glycolipids, e.g., in the M and N blood group substances (9). Fortunately D-galactose and N-acetyl-D-galactosamine are both susceptible to oxidation with galactose oxidase (D-galactose:oxygen 6-oxidoreductase; EC 1.1.3.9) (10, 11) and in both cases it is C6 of the monosaccharide that is oxidized.…”