Erythrocyte membrane glycophorins of Central Africans and some hematological patients
Lu, Y.Q.; Liu, J.F.; Nagel, R.L.; Blumenfeld, O.O.
Chinese Medical Journal 100(10): 787-794
1987
ISSN/ISBN: 0366-6999 PMID: 3127130 Document Number: 305093
We have examined the extent of glycophorin (GP) polymorphism in normal and abnormal human red cell membranes using immunoblotting technics and the following probes: Polyclonal anti-.alpha. GP that detects .alpha. and .delta.GP; antiserum to the C-terminal fragment of .alpha. GP (residues 82-131) that detects .delta. GP and all others that differ from .alpha. GP in the C-terminal region; and M and N specific monoclonal antibodies detecting the N-terminal octapeptide that specify M and N serological phenotypes. Red cells from 41 Central African normals displayed an invariant profile among all but 5. The invariant profile consisted of monomer and dimer of (M,N) GP and .delta. (S,s) GP, .gamma. GP and two other minor components, one of which had not been described before. The five abnormal profiles included two Central Africans with lack of .delta. GP, most likely S-s-U- serological phenotype which has a 4.9% incidence among them. In three other black individuals differences in the .gamma. GP observed were not previously reported. .alpha. GP of all individuals reacted with M and N specific antibodies in accordance with their serologically determined M and N phenotypes, and in all individuals .delta. GP reacted with the N-specific monoclonal antibody. Only one case of sickle cell disease out of 54 Caucasian and black hematological patients showed a variant GP band (band 3a), the others had all normal profiles, including red cells from whole blood or density-defined fractions in Hb SS patients. Our impression is that GP polymorphism is infrequent among Caucasians but comparatively frequent among Central Africans. Moreover, immunoblotting technics confirmed the presence of St.alpha. glycophorins in the erythrocytes of 5 members from a Japanese family.