Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-mkpzs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T11:56:21.317Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Factors Influencing the Agglutinability of Red Cells. Variation of the Red Cells of the Rabbit in Susceptibility to Agglutination by Homologous Iso-Antisera

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

D. H. Heard
D. H. Heard
Affiliation:
Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary and conclusions

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

1. Rabbit cells show a marked variation in agglutination when reacting with apparently homologous iso-antisera.

2. This phenomenon has been investigated in two ways:

(a) Samples of apparently homologous antisera have been absorbed with (i) strongly agglutinating cells, (ii) poorly agglutinating cells. It was found that strongly agglutinating cells absorbed the antibody completely and rapidly from the serum, whilst poorly agglutinating cells, though they absorbed it completely, did so much more slowly. Also, when a serum which had been absorbed with poorly agglutinating cells until these no longer reacted with it was titrated against strongly agglutinating cells, these were still strongly agglutinated. This showed a source of serious error when investigating new sera by absorption techniques and when using weak antisera for grouping purposes.

(b) Poorly agglutinating cells were injected into rabbits, and the antisera so obtained were examined against strongly agglutinating cells and against the poorly agglutinating cell used as the antigen. The antibody response was poor; two out of eight rabbits developed an antibody, and strongly agglutinating cells reacted more strongly with these antisera than the poorly agglutinating cells which had been used as the antigen.

3. Three hypotheses for this variation in agglutination have been put forward and discussed:

(a) That the variation is due to cross reactions between numbers of closely related antigen-antibody systems. The results of the investigations 2 (a) and 2(b) suggest that this is unlikely.

(b) That the disposition of antigen sites on the surface of the red cell is a factor determining the agglutinability of the cell. It is considered that this might play a subsidiary role in the phenomenon as it is shown in the rabbit.

(c) That rabbit red cell agglutinability is mainly determined by the number of antigen sites on the cell available to the antibody. The experimental results can be explained on this hypothesis, and it is suggested that this may be the main factor accounting for the behaviour of rabbit red cells. It is pointed out that supporting evidence for this is afforded by measurements with radio iodinated antisera.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Hygiene , Volume 53 , Issue 4 , December 1955 , pp. 408 - 419
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1955

References

Andresen, P. H. (1948). The blood group system L. A new blood group L2. A case of epistasy within blood groups. Acta path, microbiol. scand. 25, 728.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boursnell, J. C., Coombs, R. R. A. & Rizk, V. (1953). Studies with marked antisera. Quantitative studies with antisera marked with iodine 131isotope and their corresponding red cell antigen. Biochem. J. 55, 745.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boursnell, J. C., Heard, D. H. & Rizk, V. (1955). Studies with marked antisera. 2. Variation in the specific adsorption by red cells from different rabbits of one 131 I-marked rabbit iso-antiserum. J. Hyg., Camb., 53, 420.Google Scholar
Callender, S. & Race, R. R. (1946). A serological and genetical study of multiple antibodies formed in response to blood transfusion by a patient with lupus erythematosus diffuses. Ann. Eugen., Lond., 13, 102.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coombs, R. R. A., Gleeson-White, M. H. & Hall, J. G. (1951). Factors influencing the agglutinability of red cells. 2. The agglutination of bovine red cells previously classified as ‘inagglutinable’ by the building of ‘anti-globulin: globulin lattice’ on the sensitized cells. Brit. J. exp. Path. 32, 195.Google Scholar
Gleeson-White, M. H., Heard, D. H., Mynors, L. S. & Coombs, R. R. A. (1950). Factors influencing the agglutinability of red cells. The demonstration of a variation in susceptibility of agglutination exhibited by the red cells of individual oxen. Brit. J. exp. Path. 31, 321.Google ScholarPubMed
Haurowitz, F. & Schwern, P. (1942). The valence of antibodies and the structure of the antigen-antibody precipitate. Brit. J. exp. Path. 23, 146.Google Scholar
Heard, D. H. (1955). The recognition of four red cell antigen-antibody systems in the rabbit. J. Hyg., Camb., 53, 398.Google ScholarPubMed
Heidelberger, M. & Kendall, F. E. (1934). Quantitative studies on the precipitin reaction. The role of multiple reactive groups in antigen antibody union as illustrated by an instance of cross precipitation. J. exp. Med. 59, 519.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ikin, E. W., Mourant, A. E. & Pugh, V. W. (1953). An anti-Rh serum reacting differently with O and A red cells. Vox Sanguinis, 3, 74.Google Scholar
Kellner, A. & Hedal, E. F. (1953). Experimental erythroblastosis fetalis in rabbits. 1. Characterisation of a pair of allelic blood group factors and their specific immune iso-antibodies. J. exp. Med. 97, 33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Knopfmacher, H. P. (1942). A study of four antigenic components of rabbit erythrocytes. J. Immunol. 44, 121.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Landsteiner, K. & Levine, P. (1927). Further observations on individual differences of human blood. Proc. Soc. exp. Biol., N.Y., 24, 941.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Landsteiner, K. & Van Der Scheer, J. (1936). On cross examination of immune sera to azo proteins. J. exp. Med. 63, 325.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Levine, P. & Landsteiner, K. (1929). On immune isoagglutinins in rabbits. J. Immunol. 17, 559.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Loghem, J. J., Kresner, M., Coombs, R. R. A. & Fulton, Roberts G. (1950). Observations on a prozone phenomenon encountered in using the anti-globulin sensitization test. Lancet, ii, 729.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Miles, A. A. (1939). The antigenic surface of smooth Brucella abortus and melitensis. Brit. J. exp. Path. 20, 63.Google Scholar
Miles, A. A. & Wilson, G. S. (1932). The serological differentiation of smooth strains of the brucella group. Brit. J. exp. Path. 13, 1.Google Scholar
Mourant, A. E. (1945). A new rhesus antibody. Nature, Lond., 155, 542.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mourant, A. E. (1947). Dominance and recessiveness in the human blood groups. Nature, Lond., 160, 353.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Race, R. R., Taylor, G. L., Boorman, K. E. & Dodd, B. E. (1943). Recognition of Rh genotypes in man. Nature, Lond., 152, 563.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Topley, & Wilson's, Principles of Bacteriology and Immunity (1946). 3rd ed. p. 824. Arnold.CrossRefGoogle Scholar