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Quantitative studies on the D antigen of red cells with the D u phenotype
Author(s) -
Szymanski I. O.,
Araszkiewicz P.
Publication year - 1989
Publication title -
transfusion
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.045
H-Index - 132
eISSN - 1537-2995
pISSN - 0041-1132
DOI - 10.1046/j.1537-2995.1989.29289146825.x
Subject(s) - epitope , antigen , immunogenicity , phenotype , microbiology and biotechnology , red blood cell , red cell , biology , chemistry , immunology , gene , biochemistry , medicine
Rh‐positive red cells (RBCs) that fail to agglutinate with commercial anti‐D reagents by the tube method are considered to have the D u phenotype. The quantities of D epitopes on such RBCs have been measured previously in one kindred. The authors report on the number of D epitopes on D u RBCs of 23 unrelated individuals, as calculated by Scatchard's analysis. Cell‐bound anti‐D was measured by an automated antiglobulin consumption technique. On the average, RBCs of the Rh phenotype CcD u e had a mean of 1568 ± 1220 (n = 12) D epitopes per cell. The relatively large range of values in this group implies a heterogeneous genetic background. The lowest number of D epitopes, 285 per cell, was observed on the RBCs of one individual who was apparently homozygous for C . In this case, the D antigen was detected only by adsorption/elution tests. RBCs of the phenotype cD u Ee had a mean of 775 ± 378 epitopes per cell (n = 8), and those from two individuals with phenotype cD u e had 2840 and 1560 D epitopes, respectively. Thus, on the average, RBCs with the D u phenotype bear about 10 to 20 times less D antigen than normal Rh‐positive RBCs. It is suggested that the low D antigen density of D u red cells may account for their poor immunogenicity.